Sixty Years of the Voting Rights Act: Progress and Pitfalls

Bernini, Andrea; Facchini, Giovanni; Tabellini, Marco; Testa, Cecilia

Abstract

We review the literature on the effects of the 1965 Voting Rights Act (VRA), which removed formal restrictions to Black political participation. After a brief description of racial discrimination suffered by Black Americans since Reconstruction, we introduce the goals that the VRA was meant to achieve. Next, we discuss the local level impact of the law on political participation and representation, on public goods provision and policing practices, and on labor market outcomes. We then turn to whites' reactions, from political realignment to electoral counter-mobilization to changes in voting rules and arrests patterns. We conclude by discussing how the evidence reviewed in this article can inform policy-making and the design of legislation aimed at reducing racial discrimination and inequality. We are grateful to the editors (Isabel Ruiz and William A. Darity Jr.) and one referee of this journal. We thank Noam Yuchtman and participants at the OxREP Race Seminar for valuable comments and suggestions. All remaining errors are ours.

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Feb 19, 2024
• Deposit Date: Mar 14, 2024
• Print ISSN: 0266-903X
• Electronic ISSN: 1460-2121
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Keywords: Civil Rights; Race; Voting Behavior; Enfranchisement
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/32463795