What did the Voting Rights Act of 1965 change?

This act was signed into law on August 6, 1965, by President Lyndon Johnson. It outlawed the discriminatory voting practices adopted in many southern states after the Civil War, including literacy tests as a prerequisite to voting.

Why did the Voting Rights Act of 1965 require preclearance?

Section 2 is a general provision that prohibits every state and local government from imposing any voting law that results in discrimination against racial or language minorities….Voting Rights Act of 1965.

What is gerrymandering and how does it affect elections?

Gerrymandering is the practice of setting boundaries of electoral districts to favor specific political interests within legislative bodies, often resulting in districts with convoluted, winding boundaries rather than compact areas.

What was the purpose of preclearance requirements?

A core special provision is the Section 5 preclearance requirement, which prohibits certain jurisdictions from implementing any change affecting voting without receiving preapproval from the U.S. attorney general or the U.S. District Court for D.C. that the change does not discriminate against protected minorities.

What was the purpose of the preclearance requirement in the Voting Rights Act of 1965 quizlet?

Preclearance was a provision of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. It stated that no new election laws—or changes in existing laws—could go into effect in certain states unless first approved by the Justice Department.

Why was the Voting Rights Act necessary in 1965?

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 offered African Americans a way to get around the barriers at the state and local levels that had prevented them from exercising their 15th Amendment right to vote. After it was signed into law by LBJ, Congress amended it five more times to expand its scope and offer more protections.

What is the significance of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the Civil Rights Act of 1964?

It contained extensive measures to dismantle Jim Crow segregation and combat racial discrimination. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 removed barriers to black enfranchisement in the South, banning poll taxes, literacy tests, and other measures that effectively prevented African Americans from voting.

Why are voter ID laws so difficult to secure?

And, for many, these IDs are very difficult to secure. People have fought and died for the right to vote. Voter ID laws prevent people from exercising this right. If you live in a voter ID state, there is someone in your district who cannot vote because they don’t have the right ID.

How many Americans do not have a voter ID card?

In reality, this means these laws suppress the vote from elderly, low-income and voters of color: 25 percent of voting age African Americans—5.5 million people – do not have ID; and 15 percent of voting age Americans who earn less than $35,000 do not have ID.

What is the ACLU doing about voter ID laws?

The ACLU has led the charge against Voter ID in several states, challenging voter ID laws in in states such as Pennsylvania, Arkansas, Wisconsin, and North Carolina.

What are the provisions of the Texas voter ID law?

These provisions were in place to stop racially discriminatory laws from being passed at the state level to curtail voting rights. Just two hours after the Supreme Court decision, the state of Texas passed the first version of a new voter ID law, which allowed citizens to vote with a concealed-carry gun permit, but not with a student ID card.