Did You Know? #20

How many states have jurisdictions covered by the Voting Rights Act of 1965?

The majority of 9 states fall within the jurisdiction of the Voting Rights Act of 1965: Alabama, Alaska, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia. There are an additional 7 counties with at least one county or township covered by the Act: California, Florida, New York, North Carolina, South Dakota, Michigan and New Hampshire.

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is a landmark piece of national legislation in the United States that outlawed discriminatory voting practices that had been responsible for the widespread disenfranchisement of African Americans in the U.S. The Act prohibits states from imposing any "voting qualification or prerequisite to voting, or standard, practice, or procedure ... to deny or abridge the right of any citizen of the United States to vote on account of race or color." The Act established extensive federal oversight of elections administration, providing that states with a history of discriminatory voting practices (so-called "covered jurisdictions") could not implement any change affecting voting without first obtaining the approval of the Department of Justice, a process known as pre clearance.