Westmoreland Sets Record Straight on Voting Rights Act
Westmoreland Sets Record Straight on Voting Rights Act
Westmoreland statement calling for negotiations
In response to news releases from his Georgia Democratic colleagues about delay of the Voting Rights Act, Westmoreland invites Scott and Lewis to meet with him to find common ground on modernizing, strengthening and preserving the Voting Rights Act.
"The Voting Rights Act is going to be renewed and we all agree that it needs to be extended," Westmoreland said Thursday, one day after House Republican leaders pulled the vote to renew the act from the floor. "I have called for the House to modernize the Voting Rights Act by creating a formula that judges each state after each presidential election - rather than eternally punishing certain states, such as Georgia, based on the 1964 election."
"I'm willing to work with David and John and other members of the Congressional Black Caucus to create a new formula that would determine which states need federal oversight of their election laws. Let's work together as Georgians and members of Congress to set a benchmark that our state needs to meet to come out from under federal oversight.
"It makes no sense to extend this bill as is for 25 years and keep Georgia in the penalty box for 66 years based on the results of the 1964 election. Reps. Scott and Lewis know that Georgia has made tremendous progress over the past 41 years - for example, David Scott was first elected to the U.S. House from a majority white district -- but this renewal suggests that nothing has changed.
"My colleagues need to understand that the current renewal won't stand up in court. We have a conservative Supreme Court that has enforced federalism. Plus, the court in 1966 said the preclearance section was constitutional only because it was "narrowly tailored" to address a specific problem and "temporary." 66 years is not temporary and the specific problem has been addressed. You can provide anecdotes of voting problems from any state in the nation, but the legal standard requires hard data and supporters of punishing Georgia simply cannot demonstrate systemic voter suppression. Let's work together on a new formula and then work together to make our state the best it be for ALL Georgians."
http://westmoreland.house.gov/news/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=45966