Without DOJ preapproval, changes to voting procedures could be small and localized. The coming war over voting rights

State lawmakers from around the country crowded into a packed room Monday at the meeting of the National Conference of State Legislatures to learn more about the impact of the Supreme Court’s recent decision striking down the Voting Rights Act , as activists gear up for a new battle over the ballot box.

The panelists that led at the NCSL gathering in Atlanta said there’s so much interest in possible voting changes that more chairs had to be brought in for the larger-than-expected crowd that topped 100.


With legislatures in most states out of session at the time, both sides - those who favor additional restrictions and those who want to stop any such efforts - are planning for what could be a long and complicated fight in the months ahead - from the Statehouse to the town council.

( WATCH: A round-up of SCOTUS breaking news – Voting Rights Act)

“It’s a quiet before the storm period, and it’s hard to tell when the storm is going to hit,” attorney Jeffrey M. Wice told POLITICO after the panel. “No one expects Congress to act, and there’s also a wait -and -see approach to see how far think tanks and legal defense organizations go to bring lawsuits to expand [VRA] challenges.”

The high court’s ruling in June means that parts or all of 15 states can now pass laws and make changes to elections without needing pre-approval from the Justice Department – and a handful of them began to act immediately. The Justice Department has moved to stop Texas from going forward and put it back under preclearance, and a similar lawsuit has been filed by a separate group against a small town in southern Alabama.

In the meantime, changes to voting procedures could be small and localized – which may make them even more dangerous, according to activists.

“We may also see changes in the next few months happening at the local level which could impact outcomes in upcoming elections,” said Judith Browne Dianis, co-director of the civil rights group Advancement Project. “When state legislatures come back into session, they may be emboldened …to make significant changes that make voting not only harder, but especially hard for those who turned out in record numbers in 2008 and 2012, namely voters of color and young voters.”

( Also on POLITICO: States seek to nullify Obama efforts)

Browne Dianis said her group plans “significant monitoring” of voting law changes at state and local levels, as the part of the Voting Rights Act that was struck down by the court formerly provided a central database of many of those types of laws.

Their efforts are being supported and mirrored by other civil rights groups. The NAACP Legal Defense Fund set up a voter hotline with other groups and an email address where people can report changes in their community.

“We’ve had a lot of people writing in about changes and that’s been a really great thing,” Natasha Korgaonkar, assistant counsel in NAACP LDF’s Political Participation Group, told POLITICO. “We’re also keeping our eyes and ears out. Some of the smallest changes that are harder to ascertain from afar are some of the most devastating, or can be, like polling place changes.”

The groups said they were not ready to release the tips that have come in yet, however, because they are still investigating them and weighing potential follow-up actions.

Election integrity advocates also expect incremental changes.

“We expect to see sweeping reforms after federal election cycles. There will be more bureaucratic procedural reforms between now and November 2014,” said Catherine Engelbrecht, founder and president of True The Vote, a nonprofit that trains poll watchers and supports election integrity efforts across the country.

“Expect hard-fought battles over determining the perfect blend of early voting days, polling locations and volunteers with the aim of reducing long lines,” she said, along with voter ID, removing ineligible voters from the rolls and absentee ballot changes.

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