•
To view this PDF as a projectable presentation, save the file, click “View” in the top menu
bar of the file, and select “Full Screen Mode”; upon completion of the presentation, hit
ESC on your keyboard to exit the file.
•
To request an editable PPT version of this presentation, send a request to
[email protected]
1
• Whatdoesitmeantobe“disenfranchised”?Was
Hallie disenfranchised?Whataretheargumentsfor
“yes,shewas?”Whataretheargumentsfor“no,she
wasnot?”
• Whatisyourpersonalopinion?
2
• WhywaswhatJeffreydidwrongandillegal?
• Howwouldyoufeelifyouhadspentjustasmuch
timeasJeffreyvolunteering,butyouwereinstead
workingforSenatorJones’sopponent?
• WhatisthelawregardingvoterfraudinNC?
3
• InNorthCarolina,thereareanumberofdifferentactsthat
mightbeconsideredvoterfraud,someofwhichare
misdemeanorsandotherfelonies.
• Forexample,class2misdemeanorsincludethingsliketaking
aballotoutofthevotingenclosureorhelpingsomeoneuse
amechanicaldevicetomarkaballot.
• Crimessuchasfalselyregistering,representingyourselfas
someoneelse,votingillegally,payingsomeonetovotea
particularway,falselyswearingtoanydocument(likean
absenteeballotapplication),etc.isconsideredmoreserious
anddeemedaClassIfelony. (TheprincipalstatutesareGS
163-273,-274,-275.)
4
• Basedonthisinformation,whatisJeffreyguiltyof?
• Howoftendoyouthinkthistypeofvoterfraud
occurs?(Allowstudentstodiscusstheirthoughtsand
tellthemyouwillcomebacktothispointlater.)
• WhatcouldhavepreventedJeffreyfromcommitting
voterfraud?
5
• Inwhatwaysarethesetwoscenariossimilar?Inwhatwaysdo
theycontrast?
• WouldJeffreyhavebeenabletocastTyrone’svoteatMrs.
Smith’snursinghome?Likewise,wouldMrs.Smithhavebeen
abletocasthervoteatJeffreyorTyrone’spollingplace?
• Whereisthebalancebetweenpreventingvoterfraudand
securingacitizen’sabilityandrighttovote?Howdoweensure
both?
6
• The UnitedStatesConstitution didnotoriginallydefinewho
waseligibletovote,allowingeachstatetodeterminewhowas
eligible.IntheearlyhistoryoftheU.S.,moststatesallowed
only white maleadultpropertyownerstovote.
• Therewereexceptions;forexamplewomencouldvoteinNJiftheymet
propertyrequirementsandsomeAfricanAmericanscouldvotein
NorthernStates.
• SuffragewasexpandedgraduallytoincludeAfricanAmericans,
women,peopleover18,AmericanIndians,andmore.
7
• 15th Amendment(1870)
• Prohibitsfederalandstategovernmentfromdenyingindividualstherightto
votebasedonrace,color,orpriorservitude
• 19th Amendment(1920)
• Guaranteedwomentherighttovote
• 24th Amendment(1964)
• Prohibitsthefederalgovernmentfromrequiringpaymentofapolltaxasa
qualificationforvotinginfederalelections
• Harperv.VirginiaBoardofElections(1966)extendedthisbanonpoll
taxestostateelections
• 26th Amendment(1971)
• Grantscitizens18yearsandoldertherighttovote
8
• TheVotingRightsAct(VRA)bansracial
discriminationinvotingpracticesbythefederal
governmentaswellasbystateandlocalgovernments.
• Passedin1965afteracenturyofdeliberateandviolentdenialofthe
votetoAfrican-AmericansintheSouthandLatinosintheSouthwest–
aswellasmanyyearsofentrenchedelectoralsystemsthatshutout
citizenswithlimitedfluencyinEnglish– theVRAisoftenheldupasthe
mosteffectivecivilrightslaweverenacted.Itiswidelyregardedas
enablingtheenfranchisementofmillionsofminorityvotersand
diversifyingtheelectorateandlegislativebodiesatalllevelsofAmerican
government.
• The2006reauthorizationrenewedseveralkeyprotections,providingfor
languageassistance,ElectionDaymonitors,andJusticeDepartmentpreapprovalofvotingchanges.
9
• PerhapsthemosteffectivepartsofthislawareSections4&5.
• Sec4:defineselectiondistrictsthatneedtoapplyforpreclearanceasonesthathada
votingtestinplaceasofNovember1,1964andlessthan50%turnoutforthe1964
presidentialelection.SuchdistrictsmustprovetotheAttorneyGeneralorathreejudgepanelofaWashington,D.C.districtcourtthatthechange"neitherhasthe
purposenorwillhavetheeffect"ofnegativelyimpactinganyindividual'srighttovote
basedonraceorminoritystatus.Section
• 4formulasasof2013 mandated that"Alabama,Alaska,Arizona,Georgia,Louisiana,
Mississippi,SouthCarolina,Texas,andVirginiaintheirentirety;andpartsofCalifornia,
Florida,Michigan,NewYork,NorthCarolina,andSouthDakota"askforpreclearance
forelectorallawchanges.
• Sec5:prohibitseligibledistrictsfromenactingchangestotheirelectionlawsand
procedureswithoutgainingofficialauthorization.Section5wasoriginallyenactedfor
fiveyears,buthasbeencontinuallyrenewedsincethattime.
• CongresshasreauthorizedtheVRAfourtimes,mostrecentlyin2006,whenboth
theHouseandtheSenateapprovedthemeasureoverwhelminglyinabipartisan
manner.Congressconductedmorethan20hearings,heardfrommorethan90
expertwitnesses,andcollectedmorethan15,000pagesoftestimony
documentingthecontinuedneedforandconstitutionalityofthestatute.
10
• TheFourteenthAmendmentprotectseveryperson'srighttodueprocess
oflaw.
• TheFifteenthAmendmentprotectscitizensfromhavingtheirrighttovote
abridgedordenieddueto"race,color,orpreviousconditionofservitude."
• TheTenthAmendmentreservesallrightsnotexpresslygrantedtothe
federalgovernmenttotheindividualstates.ArticleFouroftheConstitution
guaranteestherightofself-governmentforeachstate.
• ShelbyCounty,Alabama,filedsuitindistrictcourtandsoughtbotha
declaratoryjudgmentthatSection5andSection4(b)areunconstitutional
andapermanentinjunctionagainsttheirenforcement.
• ThedistrictcourtupheldtheconstitutionalityoftheSectionsandgranted
summaryjudgmentfortheAttorneyGeneral.
• TheU.S.CourtofAppealsfortheDistrictofColumbiaCircuitheldthat
CongressdidnotexceeditspowersbyreauthorizingSection5andthat
Section4(b)isstillrelevanttotheissueofvotingdiscrimination.
11
• DoestherenewalofSection5oftheVoterRightsActunder
theconstraintsofSection4(b)exceedCongress'authority
undertheFourteenthandFifteenthAmendments,and
thereforeviolatetheTenthAmendmentandArticleFourof
theConstitution?
• Ina5-4vote,theCourtruled,yes,Section4oftheVoting
RightsActisunconstitutional. ChiefJusticeJohnRoberts
deliveredthemajorityopinion.
12
• ReadyourassignedexcerptoftheCourt’srulinginShelby
County andanswerthefollowingquestionsonaseparate
sheetofpaper:
• Isyourexcerptpartofthemajorityordissentingopinion?What
evidencecanyouprovidetosupportyouclaim?
• Whatreasonsdoesyourexcerptprovideforsupportingoropposingthe
Court’sruling?
• DoyouagreewiththeCourt’sruling?Whyorwhynot?
• Bepreparedtosummarizeyourexcerptandshareyour
thoughtsaboutitwithyourgroup.
13
• RequiredanapprovedphotoIDatthepolls
• Approved:NCdriver’slicense,learner’spermitorprovisionallicense; NC
specialIDcardfornon-drivers;USpassport;USmilitaryIDorveteransID
card;Tribalcardfromfederallyorstaterecognizedtribe; Out-of-state
driver’slicense(onlyvalidifvoter’svoterregistrationwaswithin90daysof
theelection)
• Notapproved:StudentID,GovernmentEmployeeID
• ShortenedEarlyPeriodfrom17daysto10day,butkeptthesame
amountofhoursforearlyvoting.
• Eliminatedstraightticketvoting
• Eliminatedsame-dayregistration
• Eliminatedpreregistrationfor16and17-yearolds
• Eliminatedstatesponsoredvoterregistrationdrives
• Eliminatedout-of-precinctvoting
• AllowedanyNorthCarolinacitizentochallengethevoterregistration
ofanothercitizen,notjustsomeonefromtheircounty.
14
• InJuly2016,the4th CircuitCourtofAppealsstruckdownmajorportionsof
HB589,overturninganearlylowercourtrulingthatupheldthelaw.Thelast
twoparagraphsoftheopinionstate:
Itisbeyonddisputethat“votingisofthemostfundamental
significanceunderourconstitutionalstructure.”For“[n]orightismore
preciousinafreecountrythanthatofhavingavoiceintheelectionofthose
whomakethelawsunderwhich,asgoodcitizens,wemustlive.Otherrights,
eventhemostbasic,areillusoryiftherighttovoteisundermined.”Wethus
takeseriously,astheConstitutiondemands,anyinfringementonthisright.We
cannotignoretherecordevidencethat,becauseofrace,thelegislature
enactedoneofthelargestrestrictionsofthefranchiseinmodernNorth
Carolinahistory.
Wethereforereversethejudgmentofthedistrictcourt.Weremand
thecaseforentryofanorderenjoining[stopping]theimplementationof
[VIVA’s]photoIDrequirementandchangestoearlyvoting,same-day
registration,out-of-precinctvoting,andpreregistration.”
15