Congress Reauthorizes Voting Rights Act for 25 Years

President Bush signed the Fannie Lou Hamer, Rosa Parks, and Coretta Scott King Voting Rights Act Reauthorization and Amendments Act of 2006, extending Section 5 preclearance requirements for 25 years. Civil rights organizations documented continued voter suppression in covered jurisdictions. The reauthorization passed 390–33 in the House and 98–0 in the Senate, though Justice Department enforcement remained inconsistent in practice.