WASHINGTON - House GOP leaders on Wednesday tabled the renewal of the 1965 Voting Rights Act under objections from Southern Republicans who complained during a private meeting that the legislation unfairly singles out their states for federal oversight, a leadership aide said.
The act, passed to end racist voting practices, had been set for a House vote Wednesday on its renewal, with Republican and Democratic leaders behind it.
It was unclear whether the objections could be resolved this year, said the aide, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the decision had not yet been made public.
The temporary portions of the 1965 law expire next year, and it was unclear whether the objections could be resolved during this year of midterm elections, in which House leaders of both parties hope to use the bill to advance their prospects at the polls.
Leaders of both parties support the legislation, which was approved by the Judiciary Committee on a 33-1 vote. Despite their support, controversy has shadowed the legislation 40 years after it first prohibited policies that blocked blacks from voting.
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