Voting

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Joint Center Testifies at Congressional Field Hearing

On March 5, Joint Center President Spencer Overton testified before a Voting Rights Congressional Field Hearing in Birmingham, Alabama.  The  hearing was hosted by Congresswoman Terri Sewell (AL), and participating Members of Congress included Assistant Democratic Leader James Clyburn (SC), CBC Chair G.K. Butterfield (NC), John Lewis (GA), Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee (TX), Barbara Lee (CA), Hank Johnson (GA), Karen Bass (CA), Marc Veasey (TX), and Stacey Plaskett (VI).  Other witnesses at the hearing were Anne-Marie Adams, Jefferson County Clerk of Court;  Richard Cohen, President of Southern Poverty Law Center; Hezekiah Jackson, IV, Metro Birmingham Branch NAACP President; and Ernest Montgomery, City Councilman for Calera, Alabama.

Spencer’s oral testimony reviewed racially-polarized voting, recent instances of voting discrimination, and the need to update the Voting Rights Act to prevent voting discrimination.  To read his full written testimony, click here.