Another Bill in Congress to Give Partisan Bureaucrats Control Over State Election Laws

One of the false narratives constantly pushed by liberals is that the efforts of states to reform and fix vulnerabilities in their election systems are somehow examples of “voter suppression.” 

Nothing could be further from the truth. Making sure that every eligible citizen is able to vote and that their vote is not lost or stolen through fraud or errors is not voter suppression—it is good governance.

The latest attempt to push this myth will occur Thursday before the House Judiciary Committee in a hearing with a title that is an exercise in deception: “Oversight of the Voting Rights Act: A Continuing Record of Discrimination.” 

Discrimination in the context of voting today is very rare; it is not a “continuing” occurrence. Census Bureau data show that black voter registration and turnout today are on par with or exceed that of white voters in many parts of the country, and there are no disparities traceable to discriminatory behavior by states. 

In fact, the Census Bureau survey of the 2020 election concludes that it attracted “the highest voter turnout of the 21st century.”

During the entire eight years of the Obama administration, the Justice Department filed only four enforcement cases under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination in voting.

This latest House hearing to push the myth of voter suppression is to undergird support for legislation numbered HR 4, or “The John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.”The bill would give liberal, biased bureaucrats in the Justice Department the power to veto changes of polling place locations, voter ID and registration requirements, and the boundary lines of redistricting in every single state.

The bill also would change legal standards to make it extremely difficult for states to defend themselves against meritless litigation challenging their election reform efforts.

The legislation is intended to overturn the Supreme Court’s 2013 decision in Shelby County v. Holder, which struck down the coverage formula for Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act.  Section 5 was intended to be a temporary provision that required covered jurisdictions to get approval (pre­clearance) from the Justice Department or a federal court in Washington before making any changes in their voting laws.

But the high court’s decision didn’t affect other provisions of the Voting Rights Act that protect voters, such as Section 2, which is a permanent, nationwide prohibition on discrimination. There is no need for new legislation reimposing (and expanding) the onerous preclearance requirement, and no evidence that the permanent provi­sions of the Voting Rights Act are inadequate to protect voters’ rights.