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Extension of the Voting Rights Act (VRA) of 1965 is being contested on Capitol Hill. This week, for the first time, it became apparent that extension of the VRA is not a certainty. There is a great deal of debate about the consequences of an extension, or a failure to extend. Does extension favor one political party, or at least help preserve incumbency? Is there room for compromise on the bilingual ballot issue? Must the pre-clearance trigger be updated in order for the extended act to pass constitutional muster? These and other questions will be discussed by panel of experts.

Panelists:

  • Ms. Linda Chavez, Center for Equal Opportunity
  • Ms. Julie Fernandes, Leadership Conference on Civil Rights
  • Dr. Abigail Thernstrom, Vice-Chair of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights
  • Professor Daniel Tokaji, Ohio State University School of Law
  • Mr. Erik S. Jaffe, Law Offices of Erik Jaffe, Moderator

Date: Wednesday, June 28, 2006
Location: The National Press Club

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