Section Five Sounds Good For GOP

Section Five of the Voting Rights act requires nine southern states to gain approval from the Federal Government on all changes in the voting process, including congressional redistricting.

It'd be interesting, if Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act isn't renewed, to see the results of southern congressional redistricting. Would Louisiana, which has a legislature that is over two-thirds Democratic, send a completely Democratic delegation to Congress? Mississippi, Arkansas, Alabama, and North Carolina are similarly Democratic.

Could there be a Democrat in Congress who is thinking along similar lines? Imagine if the sides did indeed switch? Democrats staunchly arguing the meaningless presence of Section Five, which does indeed discriminate against southern states, while Republicans argue for the long cherished civil rights provisions sought by the Voting Rights Act. If the Republicans know what's good for them, they will support Section 5, because as long as the federal government is controlled by the GOP, so will the Southern Congressional Caucus.