Are instances of racial discrimination and voting now a thing of the past? By the narrowest of margins yesterday, the Supreme Court ruled that they are.
Voting rights activists denounced the ruling, while others applauded it. The court ruled that it is now up to Congress to update the formula for determining which parts of the country must seek Washington's approval, in advance, for election change.
Nobody seems to think the House of Representatives has any incentive to do that, and as we all know in Washington these days, the two parties (and the two houses of Congress) rarely work together to pass much of anything. For better or worse, the variety of voting rights bills — allegedly needed to prevent voter fraud — that were introduced and passed in state legislatures, seem to be a way to limit full voter participation (at least courts in several states thought so). In Florida, Republican lawmakers' attempts on election reform were nullified in one case by the courts, but also by public opinion and a fired up group of Democratic voters who ended up waiting hours in line to exercise their right to vote.
Gov. Rick Scott has had the opportunity to name two new members to the Hillsborough County Aviation Authority, a/k/a Joe Lopano's bosses. Yesterday, the governor named Martin Garcia to replace the late Steve Burton. The other slot remains open, and rumors continue to persist that Hillsborough GOP power broker Sam Rashid will get it.
As we wait for the Supreme Court to rule today on two decisions affecting same-sex marriage, Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn said he's okay if two people of the same gender want to do what loving couples of the opposite sex have done forever: get married. Buckhorn will also participate in the St. Pete Pride Parade this Saturday.
And Tampa City Councilwoman Yolie Capin is backing off the idea of renaming Nebraska Avenue after a historic Florida figure, changing her sites to Palm Avenue instead.
This article appears in Jun 20-26, 2013.