What is the purpose of the Voting Rights Act?

The purpose of the Voting Rights Act is fundamentally to enforce the voting rights guaranteed by the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments of the U.S. Constitution. Specifically, these amendments prohibit states from denying the right to vote based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude. The Voting Rights Act, enacted in 1965, aimed to eliminate various discriminatory practices that had been used to disenfranchise minority voters, particularly in the Southern states.

It addressed issues such as literacy tests, poll taxes, and other barriers that were systematically used to restrict access to the ballot box. By providing federal oversight and enforcement mechanisms, the Act sought to ensure that all citizens could exercise their right to vote, thus promoting greater equality and participation in the democratic process. This focus on enforcing constitutional voting rights underscores the Act's importance in safeguarding civil liberties and the electoral process in the United States.