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Jxs04 /01/15 <br />RESOLUTION NO.2015 -014 <br />RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF <br />SANTA ANA CALLING ON CONGRESS TO UPDATE <br />SECTION 4 OF THE VOTING RIGHTS ACT <br />WHEREAS, the Voting Rights Act was signed into law by Congress and <br />President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1965, effectively banning racial discrimination in voting <br />practices by the federal government as well as state and local governments; and <br />WHEREAS, the Voting Rights Act was a groundbreaking civil rights legislation <br />which ensured that millions of Americans would be given equal access to the ballot, <br />thus guaranteeing that millions of minority voters would have their voices heard and <br />votes counted; and <br />WHEREAS, on June 251h, 2013, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Shelby County <br />vs. Holder, that Section 4 (b) of the Voting Rights Act, the formula used to determine <br />"covered jurisdictions" that must submit any changes in voting procedure to federal <br />authorities for pre - clearance, is unconstitutional; and <br />WHEREAS, the "covered jurisdictions" consisting of Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, <br />Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, and Virginia will be free to <br />change their voting laws without federal pre - clearance; and <br />WHEREAS, by striking down Section 4 (b) of the Voting Rights Act, there is no <br />longer a mechanism in place to prevent states with a history of voter <br />disenfranchisement based on race or ethnicity from enacting discriminatory laws; and <br />WHEREAS, by striking down Section 4 (b) of the Voting Rights Act, there is no <br />longer a mechanism in place to prevent states from passing discriminatory laws that will <br />unfairly target racial and ethnic minority voters; and <br />WHEREAS, these discriminatory practices are carried out in various forms, <br />including, but not limited to, proof of citizenship for voter registration, restrictive voter ID <br />requirements, voter purges, and discriminatory redistricting; and <br />WHEREAS, until Congress acts to create a new formula, no jurisdictions are <br />required to obtain pre - clearance from the federal government for any changes to <br />election laws or procedures, thereby allowing the voting rights of millions of Americans <br />to be put at risk; and <br />Resolution No. 2015 -014 <br />Page 1 of 3 <br />