Holder to Perry... - You feelin' lucky?

bought a Mac Tom Arban here with you and big guns on over the Department of Justice right now after the Supreme Court blew up the Voting Rights Act hurriedly section 4 other which said here are the states that have historically discriminated mmm you know here's how we're we're we're putting we're putting forward these folks that that these particular states news particular counties that actually looked at the justice department's say no there's no way around this we can go back to this and I find this absolutely fascinating myrna peres's with us she is the senior counsel and deputy director of the democracy program at the Brennan Center for Justice the website for that senator course is Breanna Center dot org myrna welcome I believe welcome back to the program thank you so much for having me I appreciate it is a very interesting topic come uncluttered doing it I think it's fascinating that that this actually might even work out better if we get the right judge in they can pull it off steady unless I'm wrong on this because this would allow a judge to actually bring in some other places like in Pennsylvania where you've got a Republican state legislator or bragging about the fact that that to gerrymandering and voter suppression ID laws are going to help the republican party II don't think it's accurate is a better what it what I do think is accurate is to say that last the voting rights community and voters and are lucky that we have more people to cool to be able to combat race discrimination in voting because as you mentioned Supreme Court rendered inoperable the most effective tool that we had and being in the position that we're in. people are going to need to be creative and utilize the other provision of the Voting Rights Act and other things like state and federal constitutions and state laws and other federal statutes may have to protect voters but that is not going to put us back on the kind of ground that we had before the Shelby County decision but part a what it is that that civil rights lawyers to do is is is continue to move forward by hope is that when have that will see some successful suits using some of these other tools and that will be able to convince congress that big need to act to we visit and revise the voting rights act as a springboard invited them to do yeah although you have republicans blatantly well actually let me if i may II you for a loop alway work I i'm not okay this is this is the guy in 1980 who was in charge love the direct mail party ronald reagan's campaign wanted a senior campaign advisers he was the cofounder the Heritage Foundation and the cofounder I love the American Legislative Exchange Council Alec the group that has been producing these a voter suppression ID laws and this is a speech that he gave to a group of Republican act was just 20 seconds on a to a group a republican activists in a church in Dallas Texas in 1980 during Reagan's candidate a campaign for presidency areas however christopher have what I call but Google syndrome good government they walk everybody to vote I don't want everybody to vote election are not won by a majority of people they never have been from the beginning of our country and they are not now as a matter of fact our leverage in the election quite candidly go top are going bowling popular goals now 30 I was 32 years thirty three years ago man that that is a unfortunate point of view I think one that is how to touch with most americans i think most Americans believe that when you step into the ballot box that you were able to cast a ballot that is free from racial discrimination and I think that's voters will expect our congress members to on on the promise that our Constitution makes that people are going to be free from racial discrimination when they vote so what are the tools that the different apartment justice we have with hair colour now insane you know Texas isn't gonna be the last that we're going to use the remaining parts the voter right Voting Rights Act that he has evidence love love a you know alter your motor shall we say in some of the jury Mandarin is going on and other things going on in Texas what are some other tools that he has available to him sure well there's section to have the voting rights act which is a 8 provisions that applies nationwide a protest it prevents a tumor device which is broadly interpreted that tax any that per head that a and a a 8 per se tour device from and making it at enable for voters to be able to fairly participate in the electoral process and then we have section 30 the voting rights act which is what it's covered here I'm under the the Texas case in which at the the Department of Justice or a are an advocate could have a quart make aid finding whereby the jurisdiction will be subject to pre-clearance in some sort of mana and so when I say pre-clearance I mean they would be needing to cement their election changes before they got into a fact and the reason that section to really is a different and from perhaps section 5 which was the part that was rendered inoperable why the suffolk County decisions because section 3 only becomes triggered when there's a finding a potential discrimination than just a teenager becomes very very difficult to find someone so lacking in sophistication that and they a are care less about what it is that they say or what it is that they were right and it's very very difficult to be able to meet standard as intentional discrimination taxes on a different predicament because a three-judge court found just last year that in their redistricting plans legislature engaged in intentional discrimination so it's a very interesting to watch now I know that another sued claiming her seeking a section 3 Palin provision was filed last Friday am having to do with alaska now here's is Mike Turzai he's the number one Republican instead a pennsylvania is the speaker the house representatives in that state listen to this voter ID which is gonna allow Governor Romney to win the state of Pennsylvania done isn't isn't that prima facie evidence of something and it or not that's not good I'm official evidence that something I think a you know right now they're having the voter ID trials mmm and in pennsylvania I think we're all waiting and watching to see how that comes out I think it's important for the readers to realize is that you know these big ticket items like you know voter ID laws don't get a lot of splash in attention because they are statewide in because they happen in a process whereby there is lot as media attention but we also need to be very mindful that we can have discrimination on on the local level one part of the corners of the country where and they don't have the reporters my hand you know it extra important that we remain very vigilant in those communities because we're less likely to see the elite national media reporting on this how are those kind of things typically done I i kno you know where William Rehnquist made his chops in Arizona Republican politics by standing outside polling places in Native American communities and and basically threatening people demanding to see their ID and challenging them in scaring them off but that was in the sixties i mean are they still doing anything what I mean what and the kinds of changes that we are concerned about are those changes that happen outside public scrutiny so for example a you know in a local election can find the election i right before the election or changing how they a how they elect people also moving from a system whereby people are elected to a body that now people are appointed a moving polling place locations are not telling anybody right before an election those are the kinds of things that are hard to find out about how much you live in that community and somebody in that community sounds the alarm rights reserved who have structure was really hoping that your readers will be am sorry that your viewers will be listening out for these kinds of issues and when those things to happen report from proud as they can and they can report them to you at the Brennan Center at their they should call 866 our vote and 866 our vote there someone that'll take an intake there and and you know we're available on website when you know certainly get lost love and emails from a detective organization should your city organizations interested audience members and we are public interest organizations tried to to I have responded with you that is great myrna up the Brennan Center for Justice for justice and Brennan Center .org 866 she said most at 8 866 oh you are bote powerful for thank you so much for being with us thank you fact great talking