Discussion so far of the Supreme Court's heinous ruling on Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act, with its sneaky means of yanking the teeth out of Section 5, understandably has focused mostly on the impact on African Americans. It should not be forgotten, however, that other people of color are covered, too, including American Indians. Indeed, before Tuesday, Alaska and Arizona plus two counties of South Dakota had to obtain VRA pre-clearance from the Justice Department for any changes made to election law affecting their indigenous populations. Two other counties in South Dakota, one in Nebraska and the entire state of New Mexico were "bailed in" for pre-clearance under a different statute with the same effect in the 1970s. As I wrote Sunday in American Indians won the right to vote in 1924, but some officials still haven't gotten the message, without the Voting Rights Act and its pre-clearance provisions, discrimination against Indians seeking to exercise their congressionally mandated franchise would be more extensive and effective than it is.Get the Story:
Timothy Lange: The gutted portion of the Voting Rights Act affected the American Indian vote (The Daily Kos 6/26) Also Today:
Supreme Court Ruling Impacts Voting Rights in Indian Country (Indian Country Today 6/26) Supreme Court Decision:
Shelby County v. Holder (June 25, 2013)
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Rights Act (6/26) Opinion: Justice Scalia doesn't understand Voting Rights Act (04/29)
Editorial: Voting Rights Act necessary to prevent discrimination (03/12)
Voting Rights Act challenged by Supreme Court conservatives (02/28)
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