Voting Rights Act 1970

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The Voting Rights Act promptly began after the Civil Rights Act of 1960. The act was signed by President Dwight Eisenhower and it became the platform for the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The 1960 Civil Rights Act was enabled in order to protect the right to vote for African-Americans It established penalties against anyone who threatened or attempted to deny any African-American to vote. It wasn’t such a success in itself, but it did build a bridge to possibility. Such possibility was furthered by enacting the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The Voting Rights Act of 1965, signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson, completely changed the landscape of the elections. It eliminated the use of unfair literacy tests, unnecessary poll taxes, and unjust …show more content…
White Males in charge of state policy regarding voting would constantly change them in order to prevent black voters. In order to stop this, Congress extended Section 4 and 5 of the Voting Rights Act in 1970. This extension required that jurisdictions with a record of racial discrimination, must obtain federal permission in order to change any rules and regulations regarding voting practices or policies. Section 5 also allows there to be federal observers and examiners to monitor elections to ensure that they are held in compliance with the law. This amendment was to last five years; however, it was extended another seven years by the 1975 Voting Rights Amendment. This amendment addressed voting discrimination against members of language minority groups. It required that voters with a lack of English proficiency, be assisted and given voting material that is in another language other than English. In 1982 Congress amended that Section 5 be extended for another twenty-five years, to ensure that the rights would continue to be protected. This amendment also meant that Section 2 of the VRA was made permanent. Section 2 absolutely prohibited any voting practices that discriminated race, color, or language minority groups. Reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act is immensely vital. If it is not continuously ensured, then …show more content…
"Voting Rights Act History." Voting Rights Act History. Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, 15 May 2006. Web. 11 Nov. 2016.

http://www.avoiceonline.org/voting/history.html

Avoiceonline.org Staff. "Voting Rights Act Timeline." Voting Rights Act Timeline. Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, 15 July 2006. Web. 11 Nov. 2016.

http://www.avoiceonline.org/voting/timeline.html

Civilrights.org Staff. "History of the VRA." Civilrights.org. The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights/The Leadership Conference Education Fund, 2 Mar. 2005. Web. 11 Nov. 2016.

http://www.civilrights.org/voting-rights/vra/history.html

History.com Staff. "Voting Rights Act." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 5 June 2012. Web. 11 Nov. 2016.

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