Barrett votes ‘no’ on Voting Rights Act

He was the lone congressman from S.C. to oppose it; it cleared the House overhelmingly

By WAYNE WASHINGTON

wwashington@thestate.com

Oconee County Republican Gresham Barrett was the only member of South Carolina’s congressional delegation to vote against the reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act Thursday.

The bill passed the House of Representatives on a vote of 390-33. The Senate’s Judiciary Committee is expected to take up the bill next week. All 33 opposing votes were from Republicans.

Some Southern Republicans in the House opposed provisions in the act that require the Justice Department to continue to sign off on any changes to voting procedures that could alter minority voting strength.

South Carolina is one of nine states that must get such pre-clearance.

Opponents of the pre-clearance provision contend that times have changed since the 1940s and 1950s, when state and local officials erected barriers to prevent minorities from voting.

Rep. Charles Norwood, R-Ga., introduced an amendment to the bill that would have required the Justice Department to use more up-to-date statistics in determining which states need pre-clearance. Norwood’s amendment failed.

“Things have changed,” Barrett said Friday. “If we used current data, I know for a fact that there are other areas of the country that would need pre-clearance beyond the states included now.”

In addition to the pre-clearance provision, Barrett said he would have preferred to re-authorize the bill for another 10 years, not the 25 years his colleagues agreed upon.

Supporters of the pre-clearance provisions point to disputes in the last two presidential elections and other controversies in Texas, Georgia and Mississippi as evidence that federal oversight of voting procedures in some areas of the country is still needed.

Some Republicans worried that opposing the bill would allow opponents to portray them as insensitive to the needs of minority voters.

But Emily Lawrimore, communications director for Springdale Republican Joe Wilson, said that’s not what motivated her boss to vote for the bill.

“Congressman Wilson voted to reauthorize the Voting Rights Act because he strongly believes this important bill helps ensure that all Americans have the opportunity to participate in our democracy,” Lawrimore said.

In a statement released Thursday, Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., said the bill is still needed because efforts to suppress minority voting persist.

“I used to teach history, and I often told my students that if a thing has happened before, it can happen again,” Clyburn said. “We still see these kinds of disreputable devices at work.”

Hanahan Republican Henry Brown said the bill would have been improved by the Norwood amendment, but he voted for it anyway.

“There were parts of it I didn’t like, but, in the very end, I felt like it was important to continue with it,” Brown said.

Reach senior writer Wayne Washington at (803) 771-8385.