'Democracy should not be a partisan issue’

The Voting Rights act of 1965 said certain states had to check with the federal government before making any changes to their election laws. Sixteen states were subject to this “preclearance” process — all with an extensive history of racist voting practices. Just under 50 years later, the U.S. Supreme Court changed the rules, in a case called Shelby County v. Holder. On this episode, Dr. Kevin Morris talks us through the consequences of that decision, which he says were dire for equal voting access. He’s a Senior Research Fellow and Voting Policy Scholar at the Brennan Center for Justice.