Agenda - 10-06-20; 8-a - Minutes

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23 1 WHEREAS, the Voting Rights Act outlawed literacy tests and provided for the appointment of 2 federal examiners with the power to register qualified citizens to vote in those jurisdictions 3 covered according to a formula provided by the statute; and 4 5 WHEREAS, Section 5 of the Act required covered jurisdictions to obtain preclearance from the 6 District Court for the District of Columbia or the United States Attorney General for any new 7 voting procedures and practices; and 8 9 WHEREAS, Section 2 of the Act, closely following the language of the 15th Amendment, applied 10 a nationwide prohibition on the denial or abridgement of the right to vote on account of race or 11 color; and 12 13 WHEREAS, by the end of 1965, a quarter of a million African Americans had registered as new 14 voters, and by the end of 1966, four of the thirteen southern states had less than fifty percent of 15 African Americans registered to vote; and 16 17 WHEREAS, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was extended in 1970, 1975 1982, and 2006, and 18 efforts currently are underway to restore certain provisions of the Voting Rights Act; 19 20 NOW, THERFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Orange County Board of Commissioners does 21 hereby support the passage of the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act of 2020 and hereby direct 22 the Chair to have sent a copy of this Resolution and a letter to both North Carolina United 23 States Senators encouraging them to support the passage of the John R. Lewis Voting Rights 24 Act of 2020; and 25 26 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Orange County Board of Commissioners, on behalf of 27 the people of Orange County, does hereby commemorate the fifty-fifth anniversary of the 28 signing of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and in so doing, acknowledge the sacrifices made in 29 order to establish and maintain full and equal rights for all citizens of the United States. 30 31 This the Vt day of September, 2020. 32 33 Penny Rich, Chair 34 Orange County Board of Commissioners 35 36 A motion was made by Commissioner Price, seconded by Commissioner Greene to 37 approve the Resolution and authorize the Board Chair to sign the Proclamation. 38 39 Chair Rich asked Commissioners to accept a roll call form of voting and called names 40 accordingly. 41 42 VOTE: UNANIMOUS 43 44 e. Orange County Preparedness Month Proclamation 45 The Board considered voting to approve a proclamation declaring September 2020 as 46 "Orange County Preparedness Month". 47 Dinah Jeffries, Emergency Services Director, said Kirby Saunders, Emergency 48 Management Coordinator, is on parental leave 49 Sasha Godwin, Emergency Management Planner, was recognized 50 Sarah Pickhardt, Interim Emergency Management Coordinator, made the following 51 presentation.