Voting Rights Act

Definition

The Voting Rights Act is a landmark federal law that prohibits racial discrimination in voting. It was enacted in 1965 to enforce the 15th Amendment's guarantee of the right to vote for African Americans and other minority groups.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. The Voting Rights Act outlawed the use of literacy tests and other discriminatory voting practices that had been used to disenfranchise African American and other minority voters.
2. The Act required certain states and local governments with histories of discrimination to obtain federal approval (known as 'preclearance') before making changes to their voting procedures.
3. The Voting Rights Act was reauthorized and strengthened by Congress several times, most recently in 2006.
4. In 2013, the Supreme Court's decision in Shelby County v. Holder struck down the preclearance requirement, weakening the Voting Rights Act's protections.
5. The Voting Rights Act has been credited with dramatically increasing voter registration and turnout among African Americans and other minority groups in the decades following its passage.

Review Questions

• Explain the key provisions of the Voting Rights Act and how they aimed to protect the right to vote for African Americans and other minority groups.
  • The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was a landmark federal law that prohibited racial discrimination in voting. Its key provisions included outlawing the use of literacy tests and other discriminatory voting practices that had been used to disenfranchise African American and other minority voters, as well as requiring certain states and local governments with histories of discrimination to obtain federal approval before making changes to their voting procedures (known as the 'preclearance' requirement). These provisions were intended to enforce the 15th Amendment's guarantee of the right to vote regardless of race, color, or previous condition of servitude, and helped dramatically increase voter registration and turnout among African Americans and other minority groups in the decades following the Act's passage.
• Describe the impact of the Supreme Court's 2013 decision in Shelby County v. Holder on the Voting Rights Act's protections.
  • In the 2013 Supreme Court case Shelby County v. Holder, the Court struck down the preclearance requirement of the Voting Rights Act, which had required certain states and local governments with histories of discrimination to obtain federal approval before changing their voting procedures. This decision significantly weakened the Act's protections, as it removed the requirement for these jurisdictions to demonstrate that proposed changes to voting laws or procedures would not have a discriminatory effect. The removal of the preclearance requirement made it easier for states and localities with histories of voter suppression to enact new voting restrictions without federal oversight, undermining the Voting Rights Act's goal of preventing racial discrimination in voting.
• Analyze the Voting Rights Act's role in the broader African American civil rights movement and its significance in the struggle for racial equality.
  • The Voting Rights Act was a crucial piece of legislation in the African American civil rights movement, as it addressed one of the most fundamental barriers to achieving racial equality in the United States - the denial of the right to vote. By outlawing discriminatory voting practices that had been used to disenfranchise African Americans, the Act helped to empower black communities and facilitate their political participation. This, in turn, enabled African Americans to have a greater voice in shaping policies and electing representatives that addressed their interests and concerns. The Voting Rights Act was thus a pivotal victory in the broader struggle for racial justice and equality, as it helped to dismantle longstanding systems of political exclusion and paved the way for greater African American representation and influence in the democratic process.

Related terms

15th Amendment: The 15th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution prohibits the federal government and each state from denying a citizen the right to vote based on that citizen's 'race, color, or previous condition of servitude.'

Literacy Tests: Discriminatory voting requirements that required prospective voters to pass literacy tests or demonstrate a certain level of education, which were used to disenfranchise African American and other minority voters.

Shelby County v. Holder: A 2013 Supreme Court decision that struck down the preclearance requirement of the Voting Rights Act, which had required certain states and local governments with histories of discrimination to obtain federal approval before changing their voting procedures.