“V” is for the Voting Rights Act. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was enacted to reverse the effects of state disenfranchisement and secure equal voting rights for all citizens. The act was signed into law in August 1965. It suspended literacy tests and provided for the appointment of federal examiners with the power to register qualified citizens to vote. South Carolina immediately challenged the law's constitutionality in the case of South Carolina v. Katzenbach. By an 8-1 vote, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected the state's argument. The impact of the law was immediate. Within four years the percentage of registered black voters in South Carolina went from 38.7 percent to more than 50 percent. Less than a decade after the passage of the Voting Rights act there were thirteen African American members of the General Assembly.
"V" is for the Voting Rights Act
