Abstract
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 has been described as “the most effective civil rights statute enacted by Congress.” The portions of the Act which have had the most impact in Florida are Sections 2, 5, and 203. Two of these provisions – Sections 5 and 203 – are scheduled to expire in 2007 unless reenacted by Congress. This Article reviews and analyzes Florida’s history under the Voting Rights Act since the Act’s last major re-enactment in 1982 and concludes that the special protections afforded Florida’s racial and language minorities under Sections 5 and 203 are needed now more than ever.