BILL NUMBER: AJR 15	CHAPTERED
	BILL TEXT

	RESOLUTION CHAPTER  60
	FILED WITH SECRETARY OF STATE  JULY 1, 2013
	ADOPTED IN SENATE  JUNE 20, 2013
	ADOPTED IN ASSEMBLY  MAY 9, 2013
	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  MAY 9, 2013

INTRODUCED BY   Assembly Member Alejo
   (Coauthors: Assembly Members Ammiano, Atkins, Bloom, Blumenfield,
Bocanegra, Bonta, Bradford, Brown, Buchanan, Ian Calderon, Campos,
Chau, Chesbro, Cooley, Daly, Dickinson, Eggman, Fong, Fox, Frazier,
Garcia, Gatto, Gomez, Gordon, Gray, Hall, Roger Hernández,
Jones-Sawyer, Levine, Lowenthal, Medina, Mitchell, Mullin,
Muratsuchi, Nazarian, Pan, John A. Pérez, V. Manuel Pérez, Quirk,
Quirk-Silva, Rendon, Salas, Skinner, Stone, Ting, Torres, Weber,
Wieckowski, Williams, and Yamada)

                        MARCH 6, 2013

   Relative to the Voting Rights Act of 1965.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   AJR 15, Alejo. Voting Rights Act of 1965.
   This measure would urge the Supreme Court of the United States to
affirm the constitutionality of Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act of
1965.



   WHEREAS, Political sovereignty is the cornerstone of the
democratic process in our country; and
   WHEREAS, The remedy and redress of grievances against the
government is ensured through the election of representatives who
voice the concerns of the public; and
   WHEREAS, The right to vote is a fundamental right of citizens of
the United States and is the most important of civic rights and
obligations; and
   WHEREAS, The political sovereignty of our country is jeopardized
when eligible people fail to vote; and
   WHEREAS, American democracy is strengthened when we create and
maintain voting systems that ensure the ability of all citizens to
practice civic engagement by taking part in elections; and
   WHEREAS, Voter discrimination based on race is not a thing of the
past but a current reality that persists in places such as Monterey
County, where discriminatory voting procedures have raised concerns
as recently as 2002 and 2004; and
   WHEREAS, The Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution
ensures that the right of citizens of the United States to vote is
not denied on account of race or color; and
   WHEREAS, The Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution
grants the Congress of the United States the authority to protect
the right to vote; and
   WHEREAS, The Congress of the United States has exercised its
authority to protect the right to vote by passing landmark
legislation of the civil rights era known as the Voting Rights Act of
1965 that seeks to abolish discriminatory procedures and barriers
that disenfranchise minority voters; and
   WHEREAS, Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 has
contributed to the immense progress in protecting and expanding the
right to vote over the past few decades by ensuring that state and
local election practices are just and fair; and
   WHEREAS, Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 has played,
and continues to play, a critical role in preventing and addressing
real threats to the right to vote of all Americans; and
   WHEREAS, Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 allows for
adjustments as conditions change and is justified by the ongoing
disproportionate enactment of discriminatory voting policies in the
presently affected jurisdictions; and
   WHEREAS, The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is a reflection of the
assurance provided by the United States Constitution that all
Americans have the right to vote without facing discrimination, poll
taxes, and other abuses; and
   WHEREAS, The Congress of the United States has, time and again,
reaffirmed the need for protection against abuses that might curtail
the right to vote by renewing Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act of
1965; and
   WHEREAS, Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 is currently
under review by the Supreme Court of the United States; now,
therefore, be it
   Resolved by the Assembly and the Senate of the State of
California, jointly, That the Legislature hereby urges the Supreme
Court of the United States to affirm, as it has done on several
occasions since 1965, the clear constitutionality of Section 5 of the
Voting Rights Act of 1965, which provides fundamental protections to
the right of each citizen of the United States to vote and to have
his or her vote counted; and be it further
   Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of
this resolution to the Supreme Court of the United States, the
President of the United States, the Congress of the United States,
the United States Department of Justice, and the author for
appropriate distribution.