What’s Left of Voting Rights Before the Midterms?

Last week, the Supreme Court issued a decision in Louisiana v. Callais that could fundamentally alter the future of voting rights in the United States. In this episode of The Electorette, host Jen Taylor-Skinner speaks with Sophia Lin Lakin, Director of the ACLU’s Voting Rights Project, about what the Court’s ruling means in practice. At the center of the decision is Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act—the key provision used for decades to challenge maps that dilute the political power of Black voters and other voters of color. Together, they examine how the Court reshaped Section 2 without formally overturning it, why the ruling could make it significantly harder to challenge racial vote dilution, and what this means for representation at every level of government. The conversation also explores the immediate consequences already unfolding in states like Louisiana, where elections have been halted and maps are being redrawn mid-cycle, creating confusion for voters and administrators alike. As Lakin explains, the implications extend far beyond a single case—touching congressional races, state legislatures, and local elections, just months before the midterms. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You can listen to What’s Left of Voting Rights Before the Midterms? online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

What’s Left of Voting Rights Before the Midterms? is an episode from The Electorette Podcast by Electorette Media.

This episode is 21:07 long.

This episode was published on May 5, 2026.

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