Supreme Court Weakens Voting Rights Act of 1965, Raising Fears for Minority Representation

In 1970, there were roughly 1,500 Black elected officials across the country. Today, that number exceeds 10,000. Civil rights leaders say this transformation would not have happened without the protections provided by the Voting Rights Act.The law has been especially important in fighting “vote dilution” — tactics such as cracking (spreading minority voters across multiple districts) and packing (concentrating them into as few districts as possible) to reduce their political influence.