What does everyone think of
this idea that (if adopted) might enable the John Lewis Voting Rights Act to pass muster with the current Supreme Court?
(...) there is another way forward - a compromise between the excess of national pre-clearance and the dated nature of the old formula. If the list of jurisdictions subject to pre-clearance was amended to include any state that has had two or more statewide voting rights violations in the last 25 years, one ends up with a large, diverse pool of states that reflects contemporary voting rights concerns.
Under this updated formula, the states subject to pre-clearance would be: Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas and Virginia.
What's notable about these states is that they reflect both political and regional diversity.
This formula would meet both the Supreme Court's concerns and protect voting rights. It treats all states equally; it's aimed at eliminating real, current discrimination by state actors, and the constantly evolving 25-year period means that states have a real chance of exiting pre-clearance.
Would it work?
Poll
