NAACP Marches to Capitol Hill for Voting Rights Act

Two hours after the NAACP arrived at the Senate, The Senate Judiciary Committe unanimously passed legislation for the act's approval.

Excerpt from SF Chronicle Article:

"The sections of the 1965 act that ban literacy tests and other discriminatory practices are permanent. Set to expire next year are requirements that certain states and counties with a history of voter discrimination, primarily in the South, obtain federal approval for any changes in voting laws; that federal observers be present if there is evidence of voter intimidation; and that any county with a significant non-English speaking population provide bilingual ballots.

Introduced in May, the legislation was expected to pass quickly in both houses with bipartisan support. But conservative Republicans in some of the affected states raised objections, saying the act was no longer needed."

• According to AP-Ipsos polling conducted in June and July, 86 percent of blacks disapprove of the way Bush is handling his job.