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Voting-Rights Extension Put on Hold in House

Republicans lead the House to postpone a vote on a bill renewing the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The act has been reauthorized several times, most recently in 1992. The measure, which ended literacy tests and poll taxes that had been used to keep blacks from voting, is due for renewal again in 2007.

The House was scheduled to vote on a 25-year renewal, the product of a bipartisan effort. But a revolt among House Republicans knocked it off the agenda. The breakdown was spurred by criticism of singling out some states for tighter oversight, as well as a provision for bilingual ballots.

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Ari Shapiro has been one of the hosts of All Things Considered, NPR's award-winning afternoon newsmagazine, since 2015. During his first two years on the program, listenership to All Things Considered grew at an unprecedented rate, with more people tuning in during a typical quarter-hour than any other program on the radio.