Florida Democratic Senator Bill Nelson says today’s Supreme Court decision is a major setback for voting rights. Nelson and others in Congress are now trying to figure out a way to reinstate the section of the Voting Rights Act that was struck down.
Nelson is usually a mild mannered politician. But the 5-4 decision to overturn a section of the Voting Rights Act raised his hackles.
“It drives a stake in the heart of the fairness of elections in Florida”, said Nelson.
The Court’s ruling means five counties in Florida now won’t have to get any changes to their voter laws pre-cleared by the Justice Department. They’re Monroe, Hillsborough, Collier, Hardee and Hendry. The rest of the Voting Rights Act is still intact. But Nelson says voters will be disenfranchised because the Justice Department will have to challenge states instead of pre-clearing them.
“Which in effect means that the decision is not made until after the election, instead of the burden of proof being on the state that enacts the voter suppression”, explainedNelson.
In July, the Senate Judiciary Committee is scheduled to hold hearings into the Court's decision. Nelson and others are looking at how to craft a new formula so the government can once again pre-clear states with a history of voter suppression. But Nelson says he doubts this divided Congress will be able to find any common ground when it comes to voter laws.