Voting Rights under Fire: The Continuing Struggle for People of Color (Racism in American Institutions)

Why does race play such a discursive role when it comes to the "right to vote"? Lawmakers are continuing to propose changes to voting rights policies that directly impact African Americans and the emerging Latino electorate. Ranging from issues like voter identification laws, accusations of voter fraud, and voting rights for convicted felons, this single-volume provides an in-depth analysis regarding the various racial dimensions embedded in cases of public policy. By highlighting the origination and evolution of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, __Voting Rights under Fire: The Continuing Struggle for People of Color__ demonstrates the still-prevalent issues around voting and people of color. This work will provide readers an accessible, interdisciplinary book that interconnects past and present issues involving political debates, public policy, and court decisions pertaining to race and voting rights in America. With the increasing demands for changes in how we vote, the authors analyze the complications of race tied to these proposed policies through historical and contemporary challenges. Why does race play such a discursive role when it comes to the "right to vote"? Lawmakers are continuing to propose changes to voting rights policies that directly impact African Americans and the emerging Latino electorate. Ranging from issues like voter identification laws, accusations of voter fraud, and voting rights for convicted felons, this single-volume provides an in-depth analysis regarding the various racial dimensions embedded in cases of public policy. By highlighting the origination and evolution of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, Voting Rights under Fire: The Continuing Struggle for People of Color demonstrates the still-prevalent issues around voting and people of color. This work will provide readers an accessible, interdisciplinary book that interconnects past and present issues involving political debates, public policy, and court decisions pertaining to race and voting rights in America. Highlights the racial dimensions tied to the historical development of voting rights in the United States Illustrates how contemporary voting rights developments are connected to the goal of minimizing or suppressing the African American and Latino vote Presents the way voting rights laws continue to retrogress at the hands of lawmakers Demonstrates the increasing salience that race plays within public policy, especially pertaining to political power "With the increasing demands for changes in how we vote, the authors analyze the complications of race tied to these proposed policies through historical and contemporary challenges"-- "Voting Rights under Fire is a timely addition to Praeger's series, Racism in American Institutions (RAI). With continued debate over existing and proposed voter ID laws and a host of other measures that seem designed to impede the ability of people of color to vote, racism as an institutional factor in American voting and politics is clear. The RAI series examines the ways in which racism has become a part of the fabric of many American institutions. For example, while the United States may have done away with overtly racist policies such as Jim Crow segregation, racism still affects many of America's established institutions from public schools to corporate offices. Similarly, schools may not be legally segregated, and yet many districts are not integrated. Voter ID laws have targeted perceived voter fraud, but there is no real fraud to speak of and hence these anti-voting measures serve to take us back to the period before the advent of the Voting Rights Act when people of color, especially black people, could not vote"-- Why does race play such a discursive role when it comes to the "right to vote"? Lawmakers are continuing to propose changes to voting rights policies that directly impact African Americans and the emerging Latino electorate. Ranging from issues like voter identification laws, accusations of voter fraud, and voting rights for convicted felons, this book provides an in-depth analysis regarding the various racial dimensions embedded in cases of public policy. By highlighting the origination and evolution of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, Voting Rights under Fire: The Continuing Struggle for People of Color demonstrates the still-prevalent issues around voting and people of color. Racism as an institutional factor in American voting and politics is clear. Voter ID laws have targeted perceived voter fraud, but there is no real fraud to speak of and hence these anti-voting measures serve to take us back to the period before the advent of the Voting Rights Act when people of color, especially black people, could not vote Introduction: Voter identification laws then and now Formulating democracy : Development and evolution of voting rights in America Felon disenfranchisement and voting rights On the birth of voter identification laws : Crawford v. Marion County Controversy in the Keystone State : A Pennsylvania story In defense of voter ID : Texas v. Holder and Shelby v. Holder Conclusion : Current trends in voter ID laws and felon disenfranchisement Epilogue: A note on majority-minority growth Appendix: Current voter ID policy snippets.