What is the Voting Rights Act of 1965?

Regarded as the legislative crown jewel of the civil rights era, the Voting Rights Act was enacted as a comprehensive tool meant to undo the political hold of Jim Crow policies in the South and related discriminatory structures nationwide. Congress adopted the law to ensure that states followed the 15th Amendment’s guarantee that the right to vote not be denied because of race. The law fundamentally opened political opportunities for Black and brown communities to participate in all aspects of the political system on an equal basis.

Section 5 of the law requires jurisdictions with a history of discrimination to obtain approval from the Department of Justice or a court before changing voting rules, a process known as “preclearance.” Section 2 of the law allows people to sue — either on their own behalf or with the assistance of the Justice Department — to undo existing laws and procedures that would deny equal political opportunity to voters to elect their candidates of choice. However, these protections have been eroded by recent Supreme Court decisions.

Why was the Voting Rights Act enacted?

A nonviolent campaign in March 1965 by voting rights marchers in Alabama culminated in a televised, brutal attack by state police on the Edmund Pettus Bridge. The outrage over this incident prompted immediate national action in Congress, spurred by President Lyndon Johnson.

The law was a more fulsome response than prior, inadequate efforts to...

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