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Author Rhodes, Jesse H. (Jesse Hessler), 1980- author.

Title Ballot blocked : the political erosion of the Voting Rights Act / Jesse H. Rhodes
Published Stanford, California : Stanford University Press, [2017]

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Description 1 online resource (x, 264 pages)
Series Stanford studies in law and politics
Stanford studies in law and politics.
Contents Introduction : explaining the puzzling evolution of the Voting Rights Act -- Liberal ascendance and enactment of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 -- Conservative backlash and partisan struggle over voting rights, 1968-1980 -- The growing struggle over voting rights in the 1980s and 1990s -- Voting rights politics in an era of conservative ascendance, 2001-2013 -- Voting rights politics in the age of Obama, 2009-2016 -- Conclusion : partisan interests, institutional conflict, and the future of the voting rights struggle
Summary Voting rights are a perennial topic in American politics. Recent elections and the Supreme Court's decision in Shelby County v. Holder, which struck down key enforcement provisions in the Voting Rights Act (VRA), have only placed further emphasis on the debate over voter disenfranchaisement. Over the past five decades, both Democrats and Republicans in Congress have consistently voted to expand the protections offered to vulnerable voters by the Voting Rights Act. And yet, the administration of the VRA has become more fragmented and judicial interpretation of its terms has become much less generous. Why have Republicans consistently adopted administrative and judicial decisions that undermine legislation they repeatedly endorse? Ballot Blocked shows how the divergent trajectories of legislation, administration, and judicial interpretation in voting rights policymaking derive largely from efforts by conservative politicians to narrow the scope of federal enforcement while at the same time preserving their public reputations as supporters of racial equality and minority voting rights. Jesse H. Rhodes argues that conservatives adopt a paradoxical strategy in which they acquiesce to expansive voting rights protections in Congress (where decisions are visible and easily traceable) while simultaneously narrowing the scope of federal enforcement via administrative and judicial maneuvers (which are less visible and harder to trace). Over time, the repeated execution of this strategy has enabled a conservative Supreme Court to exercise preponderant influence over the scope of federal enforcement
Bibliography Includes bibliographical references and index
Notes Print version record and CIP data provided by publisher; resource not viewed
Subject United States. Voting Rights Act of 1965.
SUBJECT Voting Rights Act of 1965 (United States) fast
Subject Suffrage -- United States -- History -- 20th century
Suffrage -- United States -- History -- 21st century
Minorities -- Suffrage -- United States -- History -- 20th century
Minorities -- Suffrage -- United States -- History -- 21st century
POLITICAL SCIENCE -- Political Process -- Elections.
POLITICAL SCIENCE -- Political Process -- General.
Minorities -- Suffrage
Suffrage
United States
Genre/Form History
Form Electronic book
LC no. 2017021934
ISBN 9781503603530
1503603539
0804797595
9780804797597
9781503603516
1503603512