The U.S. Supreme Court’s opinion on the federal Voting Rights Act on June 22 is already having an impact on Georgia voter registration. Earlier this year, the Georgia legislature passed a bill requiring new registrants to provide proof of citizenship when they register. Under the Voting Rights Act, Georgia cannot implement that new law until the U.S. Justice Department approves it. Georgia had been hoping that the U.S. Supreme Court would invalidate section 5 of the federal Voting Rights Act, but that didn’t happen, so now the state must submit the 2009 change. Odds are it will not be approved. Under the federal Voting Rights Act, though, Georgia is free to bring a lawsuit to approve any election law change that the Justice Department won’t approve. Georgia is already thinking about doing that. See this story.
Georgia is still a conquered province.
Apparently one aftermath of the War Against Southern Independence is cancellation of the Tenth Amendment.
The 10th Amendment says anything not mentioned in the US Constitution is reserved to the states. But prohibiting the states from violating equal protection in voting rights is mentioned in the US Constitution, so there is no conflict. Laws which put up barriers that make it more difficult for some people to vote than other people violate the 14th amendment. Some people can very easily prove they are citizens; others don’t have such an easy time of it. I have mentioned in the past that I have known a fair share of homeless people, and they tend to have a terrible time keeping documents from being lost or stolen.