The Voting Rights Act: What We Do Now

May 25, 2026

Following the Supreme Court's April 29 decision that eliminated the final enforcement mechanism of the Voting Rights Act, civil rights advocates are confronting a significantly altered legal landscape for protecting voting rights. With federal legislative solutions blocked in the Senate and unlikely to pass in the near term, the fight has shifted primarily to state courts using state constitutional provisions, which presents a more fragmented and resource-intensive battle. Multiple states responded immediately to the ruling by redrawing electoral maps and calling special sessions, demonstrating how threatened they feel by Black political participation.

Who is affected

Black voters and communities facing redistricting and voting restrictions
Specific states: Louisiana, Florida, and five other states calling special sessions
Civil rights organizations: Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, NAACP Legal Defense Fund (LDF), ACLU's Voting Rights Project, and Democracy Docket
Voters in competitive Senate race states
Citizens whose districts are currently being redrawn

What action is being taken

The LDF filed an emergency brief in Louisiana within days of the Callais decision
The ACLU filed a challenge to Landry's election suspension on May 2
Florida is passing new maps
Louisiana is cancelling its primary
Five states are calling special sessions
Civil rights organizations are filing cases and litigating in state courts under state constitutional provisions

Why it matters

This represents a fundamental shift in voting rights protection from federal oversight to a state-by-state legal battle that is more expensive, fragmented, and dependent on state judiciary composition. The rapid response by multiple states to redraw maps immediately after the ruling demonstrates that Black political participation poses a significant threat to current power structures. State-level offices—including state legislatures, supreme courts, and attorneys general—now carry unprecedented importance in determining voting access. Without sustained organizing, litigation, and voter participation, discriminatory redistricting and voter suppression measures will proceed unchecked, potentially weakening democratic representation for Black communities across the country.

What's next

Every Senate race in competitive states needs attention as part of potential federal reform
Continued state court litigation using state constitutional provisions
Sustained financial support needed for civil rights organizations currently fighting in courts
Organizing at the state level for state legislative races, state supreme court races, and state attorney general races
Increased voter mobilization and turnout in every election at federal, state, local, and judicial levels
Building precinct and county infrastructure that determines voting access
Long-term grassroots organizing work similar to the decades of effort that originally won the Voting Rights Act

Read full article from source: The San Diego Voice & Viewpoint