HomeMy WebLinkAbout2005-07-05 Proclamation2a
City of Iowa City
PROCLAMATION
Whereas, on August 6 of this year, the Voting Right Act of 1965, will celebrate
its 40`h anniversary; and
Whereas, the Voting Right Act of 1965 empowered the federal government to
oversee voter registration and elections in counties that had used tests to determine
voter eligibility or where registration or turnout had been less than 50 percent in
the 1964 presidential election. It also banned discriminatory literacy tests and
expanded voting rights for non-English speaking Americans; and
Whereas, although the 1965 Act had a powerful effect on voter
disenfranchisement and minority representation at that time, its provisions had to
be extended to 1970, 1975 and 1982. In 2007, unless the United States Congress
acts, certain sections of the Act will expire; and
Whereas, several voting rights issues are currently being addressed by
legislators at both the federal and state levels. In the 109`h Congress, House Joint
Resolution 28 proposes an amendment to the Constitution of the United States
regarding the right to vote and sets some minimal standards regarding the conduct
of elections; and
Whereas, the controversial majority ruling of the current United States Supreme
Court that settled the Presidential election of 2000 made it clear that it is the
individual states and not the federal government that determines who is eligible to
vote and the mechanics of how that vote may be cast. The United States is one of
only eleven nations in the world that does not guarantee its citizens the right to
vote nationwide.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, Ernest W. Lehman, Mayor of the City of Iowa City,
Iowa, do hereby recognize August 6, 2005 as the 40`h anniversary of
The Right to Vote Act of 1965
?5 Z_ ,
Mayor
Signed in Iowa City, Iowa,
this 5h day of July, 2005
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