316 - Special Session. The 50th Anniversary of the Voting Rights Act and the Future of American Democracy

Session Submission Type: Invited Session

Abstract

The right to vote is fundamental in a democratic society, one which gives meaning and power to all other rights. The Voting Rights Act (VRA) of 1965 was a crowning achievement of the civil rights movement, finally establishing the right to vote for all American citizens. Yet the VRA has had a tortured history in the hands of federal courts, partisan legislators and district gerrymandering. More recently, campaigns to restrict access to the ballot for minority and poor citizens have been widespread across America, suggesting that 50 years after its passage the VRA and the right to vote still continues to be a contested question. This panel will discuss the future of the VRA and voting rights in America.

Sub Unit

• Special Sessions

Session Organizer

• Jeff Manza, New York University

Presider

• Jeff Manza, New York University

Panelists

• Frances Fox Piven, City University of New York

• Ellen Katz, University of Michigan

• Kareem Crayton, Duke University

• Pamela Karlan, Stanford University