'We still need the Voting Rights Act'

I am angry, disappointed and outraged at the Supreme Court’s 5-4 decision to gut the Voting Rights Act. I am sure many of you feel the same way.

The five Supreme Court Justices ignored history. They ignored the devastating results of Jim Crow laws (1876-1965); Brown vs. Board of Education in 1954; Freedom Riders, James Earl Chaney, Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner, lynched in 1964; Congressman John Lewis being beaten almost to death in Selma, Ala., in 1965 fighting for civil and voting rights; and the Civil Rights Movement.

They also ignored when Republican governors and legislatures passed restrictive voting laws; curtailed voting hours; and made everything possible to make sure that minorities and the elderly had a difficult time on Election Day.

Thanks to the Voting Rights Act and Department of Justice, many of those laws were blocked.

We don’t have to look far to see the benefits of the Voting Rights Act. Last year, the Board of Elections of Orange County entered into a Consent Decree with the Department of Justice in order to comply with the Act by providing bilingual election material to the growing Latino population in this county.

Just a few weeks ago, Federal Judge Edgardo Ramos signed off on the new redistricting lines for the county since the Republican legislature failed to pass new lines on time.

Many legislators were willing to run on unconstitutional county lines. The county had to be taken to federal court by a voter in Highland Mills and her attorney, Michael Sussman.

Yes, we have come a long way, but we still have a lot of work to do before we are a color-blind society. This country still needs the Voting Rights Act.

Let’s channel our disappointment into positive action. Instead of complaining about the decision, get politically active. Let’s register voters, vote in every election – local, state and federal. We have local elections this year – do your research on the issues, candidates and Vote! Support candidates that represent your values and issues. Contact your elected officials in Congress and ask them to work on a bipartisan basis to pass the Voting Rights Act this year.

Let’s work together to move this country forward and not back to “the good old days” of past centuries.

Sonia Ayala, Chair
Latino Democratic Committee of Orange County