Orange County NC Website
21 <br /> Penny Rich, Chair <br /> Orange County Board of Commissioners <br /> A motion was made by Commissioner Price, seconded by Commissioner Dorosin <br /> to approve the Proclamation, authorize the transfer to Major Caldwell of his service side-arm, <br /> and authorize the Board Chair to sign the Proclamation. <br /> Chair Rich asked Commissioners to accept a roll call form of voting and called names <br /> accordingly. <br /> VOTE: UNANIMOUS <br /> Sheriff Blackwood, in a pre-recorded video, presented Major David Caldwell with his <br /> service weapon. <br /> Major David Caldwell said it has been his pleasure to serve Orange County, and he will <br /> continue to serve this county in the years to come. He thanked all those with whom he served. <br /> d. Resolution Celebrating the 55th Anniversary of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 <br /> The Board considered voting to adopt a resolution celebrating the 551h Anniversary of the <br /> passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which occurred on August 6, 1965. <br /> Annette Moore, Human Rights and Relations Director, made the following presentation: <br /> BACKGROUND: <br /> On August 6, 1965, President Lyndon Johnson signed the Voters Rights Act of 1965, <br /> considered the most crucial piece of legislation of the Civil Rights movement. A bi-partisan <br /> Congress has strengthened the Act by amending and reauthorizing the provisions of the Voting <br /> Rights Act five-time throughout the years. <br /> Congress enacted the Voting Rights Act to guarantee rights granted under the 14th and 15th <br /> Amendments of the United States Constitution so that no one, including state, federal, or local <br /> government, could stop citizens from registering to vote or voting because of their race or <br /> ethnicity. The Voting Rights Act contains numerous provisions for regulating elections laws. <br /> Regulations in the Act: a) prohibited tests and other devices that were used to keep people from <br /> voting; b) prohibitions against voting laws that would discriminate against a racial or ethnical <br /> minority; and c) included a preclearance requirement that prevented specific jurisdictions from <br /> making changes to their voting laws without prior approval from the U.S Attorney General of the <br /> U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. There is also a provision specifically for ensuring <br /> that jurisdictions having significant language minority population provide language access <br /> services including providing bilingual ballots and other election materials. <br /> In 2013, the United States Supreme Court in Shelby County v. Holder struck down Section 4 of <br /> the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which contained the formula used to identify the state and local <br /> governments that have to comply with the preclearance requirements. The Supreme Court, <br /> while striking down the formula, left the preclearance requirement provision intact. Therefore, <br /> none of the jurisdictions covered by the formula has to comply unless Congress enacts a new <br /> formula to determine whom it covers. <br /> The United States Department of Justice's data indicates that from 1982 to 2006, 750 Section 5 <br /> preclearance objections blocked approximately 2,400 discriminatory voting changes. Over half <br /> blocked more than 400 cases with specific evidence of intentional discrimination. Section 5 also <br />