MSM Touts VRA Report

You heard about the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights report on why Texas still needs to be covered by Section 5 of the VRA first here at Capitol Annex yesterday.

The Texas MainStream Media which, in a rare instance of good judgemement (at least for the Dallas Morning News) is actually condemning the wayward Republican Congressmen, covered the report today. Via the DMN:

Civil rights advocates hit back Monday, challenging Texas and other Southern states that say they have sufficiently improved minority voting rights to deserve relief from federal scrutiny.For more than a month, Republicans from Texas, Georgia and other states have stalled House debate on extending key provisions of the Voting Rights Act for 25 years – stymieing a deal between Speaker Dennis Hastert and Democratic leaders.

The critics say that after four decades of monitoring, these states have better records than many others.

“The claim is completely bogus,” said Nancy Zirkin, deputy director of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, which released reports Monday detailing violations in Texas and Georgia. “Texas is among the most egregious abusers of the Voting Rights Act.”

Since Congress last renewed the law, in 1982, the Justice Department has rejected 107 electoral changes proposed by Texas or its cities and counties. Only Mississippi had more rejections.

“A second generation of voting discrimination is alive and well,” Ms. Zirkin said.

Congressman Charlie Gonzalez, who I interviewed about the VRA a while back (here), hit the nail on the head about the VRA and federal monitoring:

Rep. Charlie Gonzalez, D-San Antonio, said that he is a proud Texan and that he hopes the state improves enough so that it no longer needs federal monitoring to protect black and Hispanic voters. “But it’s not going to be in my legislative lifetime, or maybe even my lifetime.”