Voting act expires in August

By Jim Tiffin
Cibola County Bureau

GRANTS — In the 1960s, Bull Connor, the racist police commissioner in Birmingham, Ala., opposed allowing black Americans to vote, as many in the deep south did.

Many times obstacles were placed in the way for blacks, including instances of requiring a reading test or requiring a monetary fee to vote that was often beyond the means of poor southern blacks.

These laws were in place for everyone, yet the law was selectively enforced to exclude blacks.

In August, some provisions of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, passed by Congress while Lyndon B. Johnson was President, will expire.

Those provisions guaranteed that black Americans would be allowed access to polling locations in order to vote.

Even though those provisions may be allowed to expire rather than Congress renewing them, nothing will change for minority voters in New Mexico, including African Americans, said Rebecca Vigil-Giron, secretary of state.

"As far as I know, nothing will change in Cibola County," said George Trujillo, elections coordinator.

"If you are an American citizen, a resident of Cibola County and 18, you can register to vote," Trujillo said.

Earnest Marquez, the state's elections coordinator agreed and added, "A registered voter in New Mexico is a registered voter and is allowed to vote in any election unless prohibited by a court order or is a felon."

"There will be no problems of registering to vote or voting," he said.

"Even if the federal law expires, the state law guarantees the right to vote," Vigil-Giron said.

Thirteenth Judicial Deputy District Attorney Randolph M. Collins, said Monday, "It is hard to think of any other act of Congress that has had as much of an impact on ensuring the rights of Americans."

He said amendments to the act were passed by Congress in 1970, 1975 and 1982.

"The voting rights act codified the 15th amendment guarantees that no person should be denied the right to vote on account of their race or color," Collins said.

"While the expiration of the voting rights act does not jeopardize the right to vote, renewal of the act is needed in order to continue to ensure that all citizens regardless of race, religion, or ethnicity are able to fully participate in the American political process."

Collins said in Mississippi in 1965 less than 7 percent of blacks were registered to vote compared to nearly 70 percent of whites. In 1988, 74 percent of blacks were registered to vote compared to nearly 84 percent of whites.

The amendment in 1975 also provided protections for Hispanics, Asians and American Indians, he said.

"In 1965, less than 20 percent of blacks were registered to vote in Alabama, compared to nearly 70 percent of whites. By 1988, after the passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Acts, and the amendments, the gap in voter registration had significantly reduced to where in Alabama nearly 70 percent of blacks were registered compared to about 75 percent of whites," Collins said.

Attempts to reach an attorney in the New Mexico Attorney General's office for comment were unsuccessful.

Paul Nixon, deputy communications director for the Attorney Generals' office said Sam Thompson, the public information officer yold him that there are no staff attorneys that are familiar with the Voting Rights Act.

The bottom line is, African Americans will continue to be able to vote in Cibola County and New Mexico, whether the Voting Rights Act provisions expire or are renewed.

— To contact reporter Jim Tiffin call (505) 287-2197 or e-mail: tiffin.independent@yahoo.com