Paper Homework: Voting Rights Act
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. §§ 1973-1973aa-6) was a landmark piece of federal legislation in the United States that outlawed discriminatory voting practices that had been responsible for the widespread disenfranchisement of African Americans. The Act prohibited states from using prerequisites or qualifications to prevent people who were eligible from voting. Specifically, Congress intended the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to outlaw the practice of requiring otherwise qualified voters to pass literacy tests in order to register to vote, a principal means by which southern states had prevented African Americans from voting.
For this homework, write a 700 words paper in which you complete the following:
1. Explain why the federal government passed the Voting Rights Act.
2. Evaluate the impact of the Voting Rights Act on political participation and voter turnout. (You might wish to study voter turnout statistics.)
3. Discuss how current challenges to the Act (for example, Shelby County v. Holder) have affected the legislation.
4. Discuss whether there have been any new (within the last 25 years) threats to voting rights.
Format your homework according to the give formatting requirements:
1. The answer must be double spaced, typed, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides.
2. The response also includes a cover page containing the title of the homework, the course title, the student's name, and the date. The cover page is not included in the required page length.
3. Also include a reference page. The references and Citations should follow APA format. The reference page is not included in the required page length.