The Voting Rights Act hasn’t been applied much in New York City — but advocates say it has played an important role here, including after city officials tried to close a Chinatown polling place after 9/11.
Since the act required federal approval for voting changes in Manhattan, Brooklyn and the Bronx, the city sought permission in September 2001 when it moved to relocate the Chinatown polling site.
The feds blocked the move since the city hadn’t advertised the change in Chinese-language publications.
The Asian-American Legal Defense and Education Fund said the decision saved voters with limited English skills from being left out.
Good government groups say the feds have had to step in so rarely precisely because rulemakers knew the feds were watching.
“There have been and will continue to be people in power trying to pass laws that will dilute the voting-right power of minority groups, and we don’t have the same [protections] that we had yesterday,” said civil rights lawyer Norman Siegel.
