Abstract

In light of the Supreme Court’s ruling on the Voting Rights Act’s (VRA) Section 5 in Shelby County, AL v. Holder (2013), many scholars and politicians have taken up the debate over whether federal preclearance is necessary to ensure minority enfranchisement in modern times.  It is the intention of this thesis to determine whether federal preclearance is still necessary to guarantee minority political participation and equality.  This study combines data from political, economic, and social spheres to determine if political equality has been achieved and how this has been affected by Section 5.  Some of the variables examined include voting rates, income levels, and incarceration rates.  After close analysis, the data suggests that Section 5 is still necessary to ensure minority political participation and equality.  Moreover, the study comes to the conclusion that Section 5 should be advanced into a state of national coverage.