Voting-Rights Extension Put on Hold in House

NPR | By Ari Shapiro

Published June 22, 2006 at 4:00 PM EDT

Republicans lead the House to postpone a vote on a bill renewing the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The act has been reauthorized several times, most recently in 1992. The measure, which ended literacy tests and poll taxes that had been used to keep blacks from voting, is due for renewal again in 2007.

The House was scheduled to vote on a 25-year renewal, the product of a bipartisan effort. But a revolt among House Republicans knocked it off the agenda. The breakdown was spurred by criticism of singling out some states for tighter oversight, as well as a provision for bilingual ballots.

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SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

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