In the landmark case, Shelby County V. Holder (2013) , the US Supreme Court struck
down major provisions of the 1965 Voting Rights Act relating to the procedure of “pre-
clearance. “ Since the ruling, states like Texas, Georgia and North Carolina, can now
make changes to their voting laws, such as photo ID requirements, that do not need to be
pre-approved by the federal government. Supporters of this ruling say the pre-clearance
rules are no longer needed and besides, states need new laws to protect against voter
fraud. Opponents say that these laws are just a new form of voter suppression tactics that
hit the poor and racial minorities hardest.
Based on this, your paper must meet the following strict content, format and submission
requirements:
CONTENT REQUIREMENTS:
1. Describe the provisions (parts) of the Voting Rights Act that discuss the issue of “pre-
clearance”.
2. Compare and contrast the views of those who think the federal government should
have the power of “pre-clearance” and those who do not. Include at least three
points of comparison.
3. Using evidence from any election in 2014 or later, argue whether or not you believe
the federal government should have the power of “pre-clearance” relating to election
laws. Include at least three reasons and/orexamples to make your point.3
4. Review the Global Citizen Blog or any other source and describe how voting rights
work in another country. Include at least two characteristics.
5. List at least two things you could do in order to engage in the political process in
pursuit of your position in (3) above.
6. Cite at least three (3) reliable, quality references within the body of the paper using
the Chicago Manual of Style’s parenthetical citation style. One of the citations
MUST come from the class textbook (-10 points if this is not done). You must have
at least three parenthetical source citations in the body of the paper that exactly
match the sources properly formatted in the Works Cited Page at the end of the
paper.
A paper with no parenthetical source citations in its body will receive a grade of
0.
A paper with no Works Cited Page at the end will receive a grade of 0.
FORMAT REQUIREMENTS:
1. Typed, 2-3 pages (not counting Works Cited Page), 12-point font, double-spaced.
2. Your name, my name, POSC 2305, and the date.
3. A title is required, but a separate title page is not necessary.
4. An introduction with a thesis/statement of purpose in the first paragraph: “This paper
will…”
5. A logically organized and sequenced body followed by a clearly stated conclusion.
6. Use of the Chicago Manual of Style’sparenthetical citation format. Students must be
very careful and pay attention to details when they examine and cite internet sources.
A paper with no parenthetical source citations and/or no Works Cited Page at the end
will receive a grade of 0; no second chances will be allowed.
7. Use of footnotes or endnotes is prohibited.
8. Using encyclopedias, like Wikipedia, Ballotpedia, history.com, kids.law.com, etc. is
prohibited (-10 points).
