By Kimetha Hill
Staff writer
On Saturday afternoon, The San Diego Democratic Club discussed the hot-button issue of voting rights and invited special guest Congressman Juan Vargas to weigh in on how the issue affects Californians.
African American San Diegans, as is the case with most African Americans across the country, are concerned with some of the legislative decisions being made on the state level regarding voting rights. In some states, governments are passing voter ID laws, laws covertly aimed at stifling the minority vote. In a recent court case, Shelby County v Holder, ruled it not necessary for states to enact special “preclearance” provisions to ensure that racial discrimination is not taking place. In essence, the ruling says there is no need to prevent racial discrimination in voting because racial discrimination is no longer a problem.
But of course racial discrimination is a problem.
The original Voting Rights Act of 1965 was instituted to end racial discrimination at the polls. Before this act, African Americans were subjected to a wide range of tactics aimed to keep them from voting including poll taxes, difficult tests administered at the polls testing their knowledge of the Constitution and other parts of American history. But with the passage of VRA 1965, entrenched racial discrimination at the polls was ruled illegal and unconstitutional.
Rep. Vargas shared Rep. John Lewis’ push to combat the Shelby v Holden ruling. The ruling turns back the clock on voting rights for African Americans, but with Rep. Lewis’ new bill, Voter Empowerment Act of 2013 – Voter Registration Modernization Act of 2013, each state will be required to make available official public websites for online voter registration. “If a person has to stand in line for nine hours to vote, that is a barrier to their voting,” said Rep. Vargas.
The bill, HR12 Lewis, Georgia, specifically goes after voter suppression and any policy associated with hindering voting rights. Rep. Vargas commented that the biggest pushback anticipated for the passage of this bill would come from the Right Wing Tea Party.
The hope is to pass the bill into law on the heels of the 50 year anniversary of the Civil Rights and Voting Rights Acts.
Members of the audience voiced their concerns on voter participation among blacks across the country – and even in San Diego, black voter participation is extremely low. “What can we do to get more participation from our voters?” questioned one participant. To this Vargas recommended galvanizing different groups and activists and different ideas to get people to register. However, this will only be successful if initiatives are followed through.
For instance, during the 2008 presidential election, then-senator Barack Obama’s campaign team pushed out a major social media initiative which drew in many new and young voters. It was very successful. But Rep. Vargas warned that many first time voters don’t typically vote during the next election cycle, which is why there is always a huge drop off.
In San Diego, the groups with struggling voter turnout include people of color and women. If they turned out in elections, they could have a significant impact on the outcomes.
