In another show of how Republicans just don't want you to be a voter, Arizona Attorney General Tom "banned for life from the SEC" Horne has done it again:
Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne has announced the filing of a lawsuit challenging a federal voting rights law's sweeping requirement that the state get federal permission to make changes in its election laws and systems.
The Republican elected official says the Voting Rights Act requirements being challenged by the state's lawsuit are archaic and subjectively enforced, putting Arizona in a position of being penalized for unfounded allegations.
Read more
Rose Law Group has more info on exactly what Horne is challenging in the VRA:
1. The 2006 reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act is facially unconstitutional. It exceeds Congress’s authority under the 14th and 15th Amendments because it suspends all changes to state election law – however innocuous – until preclearance is given by the federal government. There is no rational relationship to the powers given to the federal government in the constitution.
2. The formula for determining which states should be covered jurisdictions, found in Section 4(b) of the Voting Rights Act, is unconstitutional. It places enforcement burdens on Arizona for problems that have been corrected for decades. For example, Arizona is still penalized for archaic violations that were corrected with the implementation of bi-lingual ballots prior to the 1974 elections.
3.The Voting Rights Act is facially unconstitutional because it treats states within the union differently without a rational justification.
For example, the “language minority” coverage formula unconstitutionally differentiates between states by applying three different standards for “Spanish heritage” to three different groups of states.
...
4. In the alternative, the provisions are unconstitutional as applied to Arizona.
Rose Law Blog and
Sedona Eye
The lawsuit will be heard in the US District Court in DC - Which has 14 Democratic appointees and six Republican appointees (wiki).
This is from the same guy who went after Tucson's ethnic studies programs.
Apparently, he doesn't like the fact that Arizona can't rig the voting system to keep the brown people from casting a ballot - or create districts that make sure they have a voice in politics.
Way to show the racism, Tom.
3:37 PM PT: Note that AG Horne is arguing that the law itself is entirely unconstitutional - and that Arizona isn't in violation of any sections of the law. He just wants the law gone. Period. Another taxpayer funded ideological war on voters... (Also, updated to add enumerations to the points and another source- same press release, though)
3:55 PM PT: h/t to Three Sonorans for Eric Holder's response:
“The Voting Rights Act plays a vital role in our society by ensuring that every American has the right to vote and to have that vote counted. The Department of Justice will vigorously defend the constitutionality of the Voting Rights Act in this case, as it has done successfully in the past. The provisions challenged in this case, including the preclearance requirement, were reauthorized by Congress in 2006 with overwhelming and bipartisan support. The Justice Department will continue to enforce the Voting Rights Act, including each of the provisions challenged today.”
6:53 PM PT: Updating title and some clarifications; Also, If you want to see the Preclearance info for 2011 that Tom Horne is complaining about, visit here:
http://www.azag.gov/...
Funny, Democrat Terry Goddard, our last AG, never had a problem doing his job getting Preclearances from the DOJ. I think Tom Horne just hates doing work.