SHELBY COUNTY V. HOLDER

Following nearly a century of state and local governments, primarily in the South, denying people of color their right to vote through the imposition of various restrictions and regulations, Congress's passage of the Voting Rights Act in 1965 made clear that no citizen could be deprived of their right to vote based on their race. Under the act, states and districts with a history of disregarding the right of enfranchisement of certain groups could no longer utilize certain practices designed to bar these individuals from casting their ballots. The act also forbade these states and districts from passing laws regarding elections or modify existing ones without first acquiring approval from the federal government. Supporters of the act heralded it as a great victory, with the federal government finally enforcing the Fifteenth Amendment long after its ratification. Its impact came to be evident with a marked increase in the voter registration rates of African Americans in the two decades following the act's passage. Despite some controversy over the years, Congress reauthorized the Voting Rights Act on a regular basis with support from both parties.