Hochul signs voter protection measure

N.Y. is first state to revive part of federal Voting Rights Act

Gov. Kathy Hochul signed into law Monday a measure intended to prevent local officials from enacting rules that might suppress people’s voting rights because of their race.

The John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act, named after the late civil rights activist who represented Georgia in the U.S. House of Representatives, makes New York one of the first states to bring back a version of a process known as “preclearance” that was gutted by a landmark Supreme Court decision in 2013.

Under the federal Voting Rights Act of 1965, states and counties that had once suppressed the rights of Black voters had to seek U.S. Justice Department approval before changing voting rules.

The court’s ending of that practice, on the grounds that federal oversight was no longer needed, helped clear the way for multiple states to enact new rules around voting in recent years.

Now, local governments or school districts with a record of discrimination must gain approval from state officials in order to pass certain voting policies.

“We’re going to change our election laws so we no longer hurt minority communities,” Hochul said at a signing ceremony in Brooklyn. “No state in the nation has stood up with the courage and conviction and the power we have by protecting these important rights,” she said.

The new state law will also expand language assistance for voters who don’t use English as a first language, and also provide legal tools to fight discriminatory voting provisions.

An effort in Congress to revive parts of the Voting Rights Act failed to make it through the Senate.

Democrats who back the New York legislation said laws like it are still needed. “Just last week, several important races around the country were won by people who deny the validity of elections and who will work to reduce access for voters,” said Sen. Zellnor Myrie.