Introduction

Chuck Burton/Associated Press

For most supporters of the Voting Rights Act, its 50th anniversary on Thursday is a bittersweet occasion. While the law had great success in tearing down obstacles to African-American voting and representation in the South and elsewhere, the Supreme Court’s 2013 Shelby County v. Holder ruling that overturned Section 5 of the law, took away its most powerful tool — federal oversight of states and localities with a history of racial discrimination. A federal judge in North Carolina will decide whether the law’s remaining provisions, barring racial discrimination, can overturn election restrictions that cropped up in the wake of Shelby, which opponents say are intended to suppress black voting.

With the elimination of Section 5, are there other ways to deal with problems the law addressed, or is there even a problem that still needs addressing?