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Voting Rights
Voting rights pose a significant dilemma for the Court. On one hand, historically, voting procedures and elections fell within the near-exclusive purview of the individual states. On the other hand, we have amended the constitution three separate times to address voting rights (15th, 19th, and 26th Amendments) and a variety of federal legislation exists relating to voting rights and practices. The perception of state autonomy and federal intervention creates a messy conflict.
On top of the federalism debate, voting is also a complex subject. Issues like gerrymandering, the math of one person-one vote, and weighing practical restrictions that safeguard voters from fraud have long plagued members of the Court.
While the Court was more active in protecting individual voters, particularly African Americans, from disenfranchisement during the 1960s and 70s - in recent decades, the Court has had a more hands-off approach to state regulation of elections, even when those regulations may decrease voter turnout or disenfranchise some voters.
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