Alvaro Bedoya has written this student note for the Yale Law Journal. Here is the abstract:

In Georgia v. Ashcroft, the Supreme Court weakened the protections afforded to minority voters in jurisdictions covered by the section 5 preclearance provisions of the Voting Rights Act (VRA). This Note highlights the fact that Georgia v. Ashcroft–a decision applicable to all minority voters–was based on selective statistical evidence drawn solely from the African-American community, ignoring consistent data indicating that Hispanics still need the robust protections originally afforded by the section 5 preclearance standard. With the reauthorization of the VRA fast approaching, the Note presents two strategies–one for Congress, one for courts–to remedy the problems that Georgia v. Ashcroft has created.