After dozens of states tried to modify their voter identification criteria this election cycle, the Supreme Court will take up a challenge to Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act. Section 5 is a key part of the law that requires that states with a history of discrimination receive federal approval before changing their voting laws. State officials in Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, and Virginia are challenging the law, arguing it’s outdated. Congress reauthorized the law in 2006 by huge margins in both the Senate and the House.
