California: VRA-covered counties seek change in VRA
Scripps Howard News Service reports: Several San Joaquin Valley counties remain ensnared in a voting rights law originally written to stop anti-black discrimination in the Deep South.
Now, some hope to change that.
With lobbyists on board, and Congress preparing to rewrite the far-reaching Voting Rights Act, Merced County officials are trying to finally escape the election restrictions that have bound them for three decades.
If successful, Merced County would no longer need Justice Department approval for the myriad precinct and ballot changes that precede every election. Merced County's campaign, in turn, could shake up things for Kings, Yuba and Monterey counties _ the other three in the state that are likewise closely regulated under the Voting Rights Act. -- Scripps Howard News Service
Of course, the counties could have spent that lobbying money on cleaning up their act and getting a "bailout" under the present law.