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<br />.78 <br /> <br />TUESDAY <br /> <br />SEPTEMBER 13, 1983 <br /> <br />Section 2(a) of the Act now reads (in part): "No voting qualification <br />or prerequisite to voting.....shall be imposed or applied by any..... <br />political subdivision in a manner which results in a denial or abridg- <br />ment of the right of any citizen of the United Stated to vote on <br />account of race or color....."; and, under Section 2(b), in part, ".... <br />that nothing in this section establishes a right to have members of a <br />protected class elected in numbers equal to their proportion of the <br />population." <br /> <br />On a preliminary basis, only, I have studied the types of violations <br />of Section 2 which would be subject to legal action, (as) for example: <br /> <br />1. Registration discrimination; <br />2. Racially-polarized elections; <br />3. Unusually large election districts; <br />4. The past elections of minorities to <br />public office; and <br />5. Lack of responsiveness on the part of <br />elected officials to the needs of the <br />members of the minority group. <br /> <br />As to increased voter registration, City Council has consistently sup- <br />ported the efforts of the General Registrar's office to increase voter <br />registration. Last April 26th, Council approved a resolution which led <br />to a procedure for the Registrar to engage volunteer assistant <br />Registrars. It was my understanding that the Voters' League was quite <br />interested in implementing this procedure. As of August 16, 1983, there <br />were 8,402 voters registered in the City. According to the 1980 figures, <br />there were 13,559 citizens (in Martinsville) eligible to register. It <br />seems that there is still work to do on (the other) 5,157 people. Mean- <br />while, let us be reminded of the special registration sessions scheduled <br />for the following Saturdays: September 24, October 1st, and October 8th. <br /> <br />I have concluded that, overall, Martinsville has a good record. First, <br />we achieved integration of public schools, stores, restaurants, etc., <br />with a minimum of disruption. Second, we had a Black Councilman for <br />twelve years, during which time he served as Vice-Mayor and Mayor. <br />Third, in the last two councilmanic elections, one Black candidate <br />failed for lack of support in the Black community and another Black can- <br />didate lost by only fifty-five votes. The record shows that Martinsville <br />voters will support a Black candidate as well as a White candidate, if <br />the qualifications are there. For the past three years, Martinsville has <br />not had a member of the Black race on City Council. I believe that, <br />nevertheless, during these past three years as in other times, Council <br />has been responsive to the needs of all citizens in all sections of the <br />City. <br /> <br />I recognize the importance of this subject and I do not intend to treat <br />it lightly; and, I hope that we can resolve the matter locally. Certainly, <br />we know our City better than (do) "outsidErs". A "Ward" system might not <br />automatically resolve all of the problems of the Black citizen; moreover, <br />