I noted on Wednesday that a rebellious group of about 80 House Republicans were threatening to derail reauthorization of the [tag]Voting Rights Act[/tag] because they opposed bilingual ballots in some districts and they were “offended” by federal oversight of voting in districts that “were notorious for institutionalized acts of racism, such as adopting laws designed to prevent blacks from voting.”
This was more than just a symbolic protest; these conservatives, nearly all of whom are from the South, threatened to derail the entire bill. Yesterday, they got smacked around pretty thoroughly.
The [tag]House[/tag] yesterday easily approved an extension of key provisions of the landmark Voting Rights Act, after GOP leaders quelled a rebellion within the party’s Southern ranks that threatened to become a political embarrassment.
Before the 390 to 33 vote to extend the measure for a quarter-century, the House defeated four amendments that would have diluted two expiring provisions and possibly derailed final passage before the November congressional elections. With the House hurdle now cleared, Senate Judiciary Chairman Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) said he hoped to bring the extension to the Senate floor before the August recess.
House Dems, and fortunately, top GOP leaders, said in no uncertain terms that the Voting Rights Act would be renewed without alteration. It’s worth remembering, however, that there were four poison-pill amendments pushed by hard-line VRA critics — and some of those amendments were supported by a majority of House Republicans.
The roll call vote for the final bill is online here. You can also see the vote breakdown on the Norwood Amendment (which would have limited affected jurisdictions), Gohmert Amendment (which would have caused the VRA to expire in just 10 years), King Amendment (on bilingual ballots), and Westmoreland Amendment (which would have made it harder for the feds to keep monitoring problematic communities).
Also remember, despite the margin of victory in the House, it appears some of the [tag]Senate[/tag]’s most conservative Southerners are poised to raise the same objections. Yesterday was encouraging, but there’s one more chamber to go — and a handful of GOP southerners are hinting at a filibuster. Stay tuned.