Extension of the Voting Rights Act
The Extension of the Voting Rights Act--officially known as The Fannie Lou Hamer, Rosa Parks and Coretta Scott King Voting Rights Act Reauthorization and Amendments Act of 2006--was signed into law by former President George W. Bush on July 27, 2006.
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Purpose
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The purpose of the new legislation was to extend and to make necessary amendments to the original Voting Rights Act signed into law in 1965 by then President Lyndon B. Johnson. Under the legislation, the government is allowed to continue its regulation of voting procedures throughout the country for the next 25 years.
Consideration
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The House Judiciary and its Subcommittee on the Constitution were the House committees assigned to the new legislation during the review process.
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Conditions
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New conditions to the act include the requirement that certain states, mostly in the South, acquire Justice Department approval before making any important changes to voting locations and procedures in their respective territories. Additionally, certain areas throughout the country are now required to provide bilingual ballots or interpreters for voters with poor English interpretation skills.
Amendments
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The amendments made to the original legislative bills include changes to the requirements governing examiners at federal elections in that the Director of the Office of Personnel is now able to assign specific numbers of observers under certain conditions. Additionally, the new law provides an extension of bilingual election regulations through 2032.
Republican Opposition
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Though the final voting result was uncontested, initial opposition was heard from the Republican Party. According to some Republicans, the amendments implicated in the new legislation unfairly singled out certain Southern states.
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