variation of the same scheme and achieve the same result. A new literacy test. The polling place would be moved just before the election in the Black community. Legal remedies were not effective because a new device could be put in place as soon as an earlier one was invalidated. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is the principal measure in combating this racial discrimination. It is the single most effective piece of civil rights legislation in the U.S. The Voting Rights Act bans discrimination in voting on the basis of race or national origin and gives the federal government wide authority to ensure non-discrimination in voting. But, as just said, that is not enough. Crucially, Section Five of the Act serves as a checkpoint by requiring jurisdictions within the U.S. that have a history of discrimination in voting to obtain approval from the federal government before enacting any changes to their voting practices or procedures, a process known as “preclearance.” Section Five acts like a national election commission in some ways. Preclearance has been an extremely effective tool in rooting out and deterring acts of discrimination in voting. Since 1982, it has prevented the enactment of over 600 documented discriminatory changes to voting laws. This critical law, the VRA, was challenged in our Supreme Court this year, and we, the Legal Defense Fund, argued in the Supreme Court and succeeded in preventing it being declared unconstitutional. Accurate Counting of Minorities