BILL ANALYSIS Ó ----------------------------------------------------------------- |SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | AJR 13| |Office of Senate Floor Analyses | | |(916) 651-1520 Fax: (916) | | |327-4478 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------- THIRD READING Bill No: AJR 13 Author: Ridley-Thomas (D), et al. Amended: 8/17/15 in Assembly Vote: 21 ASSEMBLY FLOOR: 78-0, 8/17/15 - See last page for vote SUBJECT: The Voting Rights Act of 1965 SOURCE: Author DIGEST: This resolution recognizes August 6, 2015, as the 50th anniversary of the signing of the federal Voting Rights Act of 1965. This resolution also urges the Congress and President of the United states to continue to secure citizens' right to vote and remedy any racial discrimination in voting. ANALYSIS: This resolution makes the following legislative findings: 1)Signed into law on August 6, 1965, by President Lyndon B. Johnson, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 is a landmark piece of federal legislation in the United States. 2)One hundred and forty-five years ago, in 1870, Congress ratified the 15th Amendment, which declared that the right to vote shall not be denied or abridged on the basis of race, color, or previous condition of servitude. 3)During the 1920s, African Americans in Selma, Alabama formed the Dallas County Voters League (DCVL). During the 1960s in AJR 13 Page 2 partnership with organizers from the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, the DCVL held registration drives and classes to help African Americans in Dallas County pass the literacy tests required to register to vote. On March 7th, 1965, the first march from Selma to Montgomery took place. The march, nicknamed "Bloody Sunday" for the horrific attack on unarmed marchers by armed police, was broadcast nationwide and led to a national outcry for the passage of the Voting Rights Act. 4)Often regarded as one of the most effective civil rights laws, the Voting Rights Act was passed with the intent to ban discriminatory voting policies at all levels of government. 5)The Voting Rights Act is credited for the enfranchisement of millions of minority voters as well as the diversification of the electorate and legislative bodies throughout all levels of government. 6)Before Section 203 of the Voting Rights Act was added in 1975, language minorities were disenfranchised from the electoral process. Section 203 required certain jurisdictions to provide registration or voting notices, forms, instructions, assistance, or other materials and information regarding the electoral precess in the language of the applicable minority group. 7)In June of 2013, the Supreme Court struck down key sections of the Voting Rights Act that were designed to prevent discriminatory voting policies that can disenfranchise minority voters. Despite 50 years of progress, racial minorities continue to face voting barriers in jurisdictions with a history of discrimination. This resolution: AJR 13 Page 3 1)Recognizes August 6, 2015, as the 50th Anniversary of the signing of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and recognizes the significant progress made by the Voting Rights Act to protect every citizen's right to vote. 2)Honors and remembers those who struggled and died for this freedom. 3)Urges the Congress and the President of the United States to continue to secure citizens' right to vote and remedy any racial discrimination in voting. Prior Legislation AJR 15 (Alejo, Resolution Chapter 60, Statutes of 2013) urged the Supreme Court of the United States to affirm the constitutionality of Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. SJR 14 (Yee, Resolution Chapter 133, Statutes of 2013) urged the Congress and President of the United States to enact amendments to the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that would restore Section 4 of the Act with a new coverage formula and update the entire Act in order to address ongoing violations of voting rights in the states. FISCAL EFFECT: Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.:NoLocal: No SUPPORT: (Verified8/26/15) Asian Americans Advancing Justice California Association of Clerks and Election Officials Future of California Elections MALDEF AJR 13 Page 4 OPPOSITION: (Verified8/26/15) None received ASSEMBLY FLOOR: 78-0, 8/17/15 AYES: Achadjian, Alejo, Travis Allen, Baker, Bigelow, Bloom, Bonilla, Bonta, Brough, Brown, Burke, Calderon, Campos, Chang, Chau, Chávez, Chiu, Chu, Cooley, Cooper, Dababneh, Dahle, Daly, Dodd, Eggman, Frazier, Gallagher, Cristina Garcia, Eduardo Garcia, Gatto, Gipson, Gomez, Gonzalez, Gordon, Gray, Grove, Hadley, Roger Hernández, Holden, Irwin, Jones, Jones-Sawyer, Kim, Lackey, Levine, Linder, Lopez, Low, Maienschein, Mathis, Mayes, McCarty, Medina, Melendez, Mullin, Nazarian, Obernolte, O'Donnell, Olsen, Patterson, Perea, Quirk, Rendon, Ridley-Thomas, Rodriguez, Salas, Santiago, Steinorth, Mark Stone, Thurmond, Ting, Wagner, Waldron, Weber, Wilk, Williams, Wood, Atkins NO VOTE RECORDED: Beth Gaines, Harper Prepared by: Karen Chow / SFA / (916) 651-1520 8/26/15 16:14:09 **** END ****