Over at Town Hall, Jack Kemp writes The Voting Rights Act Turns 40. A snippet:

Section 5, the so-called “temporary” or “special” provisions, which gave the federal government extraordinary “emergency” powers to eliminate voter discrimination, even had to be used in some parts of the North. This part of the statute required nine states and 66 counties in seven others with a long history of voter discrimination to pre-clear all voting procedures and laws, including redistricting plans and moving a polling station, with the U.S. Department of Justice. That section originally was intended to last no more than about five years because of its extraordinary nature, in effect pre-empting the Constitution’s vesting of voting laws and procedures. I agree with Lewis, however, that problems remain, and Section 5 should be reauthorized in 2007 when it expires.

See also this oped by Kent Willis.