Steeped in the politics of the 1960s and the emergence of legal equality for all Americans, the Voting Rights Act required states that did not comply by 1972 to get federal approval for any legislation involving voting procedures, including things as mundane as drawing school district boundaries.
Arizona was one of 9 states that did not completely comply by 1972, and despite coming into compliance in 1974, the federal oversight of Arizona and the other 8 states was never removed.
Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne just filed a lawsuit to have this oversight removed. Since Arizona has been in compliance for 37 years, this is a sensible request. The federal oversight adds expense and delay at both the state and the national level. It is a punishment on a different scale from the transgression, and 37 years is quite long enough. This oversight should be lifted from all 9 states involved.
