The Senate Judiciary Committee holds a hearing on the Deceptive Practices and Voter Intimidation Prevention Act to prohibit deceptive practices in federal elections.
The Act creates a civil right of action and criminal penalties for violations, allows for corrective action by the Attorney General and requires the Department of Justice to report this type of activity to Congress.
This legislation recognizes the power of Congress to prohibit racially discriminatory tactics in elections under the Fifteenth Amendment, Voting Rights Act, and the general power of Congress under Article I, Section 4 of the Constitution to regulate the "times, places, and manner" of federal elections.
Sen. Benjamin Cardin (D-MD) testifies, along with Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law Director of Public Policy Tanya Clay House; John Park, Jr. of Strickland Brockington Lewis LLP; and Common Cause Director of Voting and Elections Jenny Rose Flanagan.
Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) chairs the hearing.