Key opponent of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 Extention.
Westmoreland opposed the Act that:

• outlawed literacy other tests to register to vote
• outlawed poll taxes and whites-only primaries
• gave punitive power to the 15th Amendment which ensures that no citizen of the United States be denied the right to vote because of the color of their skin

Westmoreland's objection was that the Act required "state and local governments with a history of significant discrimination to obtain approval from the Department of Justice or a Federal District Court before that state or district makes changes in its election procedures." (Section 5)

Having to prove that changes in Georgia's voting regulations would not be discriminative was viewed by Westmoreland as an undue burden to racist states and that the Act was an "overreach of federal power."

Non-racist members of Congress disagreed and passed the Extension of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and was signed by George W. Bush on July 27, 2006.