The Supreme Court’s decision on Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act was more than month a ago, but that doesn’t mean John Oliver has gotten over it. In fact, he believes the ruling opened the door for a “Sharknado of voter suppression.”
The fill-in host for ‘The Daily Show with Jon Stewart‘ harshly criticized Texas, Florida and North Carolina for trying to implement new voter ID laws. He mocked Texas for waiting a full two hours after the Supreme Court decision before moving forward with voter ID legislation.
“Come on Texas, what were you doing for two whole hours?” he asked. “Did it take you that long to make the call because your hand was shaking too much from the excitement of being able to disenfranchise voters?”
He described Florida as the state where “your grandparents and your rights go to die,” and joked that North Carolina was trying to put all voting booths on buoys so they’re only accessible by yacht.
The host also implied that there is no evidence of widespread voter fraud. Instead, Oliver proved that he has completely bought into the liberal rhetoric by deciding the voter ID laws are simply in place to prevent black Americans from voting.
But Oliver totally misses the reasoning for the Supreme Court’s decision.
African-American voter turnout actually exceeds white voter turnout in many states where the VRA applies, proving that the racial atmosphere in modern-day America is very different than that of the ’60s, when the VRA was passed. Holder and the Department of Justice can still sue states suspected of engaging in voter discrimination. And Congress can still require certain jurisdictions to get preclearance before changing voting laws. But with the Supreme Court decision on Section 4, that preclearance must now be based on the current conditions, instead of the racism that existed in the ’60s.
So the Supreme Court decision doesn’t really allow states to disenfranchise black voters, as Oliver suggests. It simply updates the standards for preclearance. But the facts don’t make for good jokes.
Watch the clip below. Warning: Graphic ‘Sharknado‘ content.
