1. Suffrage and Civil Rights
Chapter 6
Section 3

2. Key Terms
Gerrymandering
Injunction
Preclearance

3. 15th Amendment The effort to extend franchise to African Americans
Ratified 1870
Declares the right to vote can not be denied to any citizen because of “race, color, or previous servitude.”

4. History African Americans were systematically kept from the polls
White supremacists used violence
Others used other types of pressure
If an African American registered to vote he could be denied credit in a store

5. Formal Methods Literacy tests
Whites would manipulate the test to disenfranchise African Americans
Poll Taxes, White primaries, Gerrymandering also used
Gerrymandering- drawing electoral district lines in order to limit a voters strength or a particular party or group

6. Democratic Domination of the South
Only Democrats nominated candidates
In southern states political parties were private associations
They refused African Americans memberships

7. Court Rulings Outlawed white primaries in 1944
If party holds a primary they must follow the 15th Amendment
1960 Supreme court outlawed gerrymandering that it violated the 15th amendment

8. Early Civil Rights Led by martin Luther King in the late 1950’s
Acts of 1957 and 1960
Civil Rights Act of 1957
Created the Civil Rights Commission
1957 Attorney General had power to investigate polling problems
Civil Rights Act of 1960 appointed federal referee’s

9. Civil Rights Act of 1964
Outlawed discrimination in job related matters
Forbid literacy requirement
Injunction- is a court order that compels or restraining the performance of some act by a private individual or public official
Any violation would be contempt of court

10. Selma Alabama Dr. King mounted a voter drive in 1965
Efforts met with violence by local whites civilians, police and state police
Civil rights worker was murdered
Nation saw it on television and was outraged
President Johnson urged Congress to pass new and stronger legislation

11. Voting Rights Act
Voting Rights Act of 1965 made 15th amendment truly effective
It applied to all elections
Originally only suppose to last for five years.
Congress extended it 1970, 1975, 1982, 2006
Present version effective for 25 years (2031)
1965 law challenged constitutionality of poll tax, law suspended literacy test

12. Preclearance Voting act of 1965 impose more restrictions
Preclearance- the act declared that no new election law, and no change in existing election laws could go into effect until they were pre-cleared.

13. The voter-examiner and Preclearance Provisions of 1965 applied to six entire states
Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Virginia and 40 counties of North Carolina

14. Supreme Court found The Voting Rights Act to be a proper exercise of power granted by the 15th Amendment.

15. Amendments to the Act 1970 extended the law for another 5 years
Provided for 5 years no state could use a literacy test
There were also residency provisions
1975 Law extended for 7 years
Ban on literacy tests is permanent
Preclearance provisions and voter examiner were broadened

16. Since then they have also covered any state with a voting population that belongs to a “language minorities”
These groups include Spanish, Native Americans, Asians, Native Alaskans
This addition expanded laws coverage to Alaska, Texas and to several counties in 24 state
All ballots must be printed in English and the minority language involved

17. 1982 extended the basic features for 25 years
1992 the laws language was changed that it applied to any community with a minority-language population of 10,000 or more
Today eight entire states still remain subject to Voting Rights Act
Alabama, Alaska, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina and Texas

18. Court Challenge Utility District v Holder in 2009
Small Texas Water District challenged the law
Argued many significant changes had happened in race relations and the law was no longer needed and unconstitutional
Court decided 6 – 1 because the water district had no history of race-based discrimination it was not subject to preclearance provisions

19. Clearly there will be more challenges to the act in the future