The Voting Rights Act of 1965, signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson, aimed to overcome legal barriers at the state and local levels that prevented African Americans from exercising their right to vote as guaranteed under the 15th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The Voting Rights Act is considered one of the most far-reaching pieces of civil rights legislation in U.S. history.

Read the Voting Rights Act in its entirety. Then, address the following:

• What immediate issues did the Voting Rights Act of 1965 seek to address?
• What long term systemic change did the Voting Rights Act of 1965 seek to enact?
• Do we still need the Voting Rights Act of 1965 in its entirety today? Why or why not?

For the last question consider the 2013 Supreme Court case Shelby v Holder and other legislative enactments.

https://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/cert/12-96