How do changes to the Voting Rights Act affect people's ability to vote in America?

The Supreme Court just narrowed a landmark voting law for a nation that has never been more diverse — or more divided over who gets political power. Why it matters: The latest ruling lands in a more multiracial, more mobile country that looks nothing like it did in 1965, raising fresh questions about how voting protections apply to a rapidly evolving electorate. Catch up quick: The court's Louisiana v. Callais ruling on Wednesday effectively narrowed Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, which prohibited racially-discriminatory gerrymandering. Section 2 helped end Jim Crow laws and expanded voting protections for people of color across the South, particularly for Black Americans.A weakened Section 2 means fewer federal guardrails as states redraw political power. Zoom in: In 1965, about 85% of Americans were white. Today that share is closer to 59%, according to Census data. The multiracial population is one of the fastest-growing groups, surging by 276% between 2010 and 2020.Latino and Asian American populations have driven much of the nation's growth, reshaping political maps in states like Texas, Georgia and Arizona. Zoom out: The American South has become the center of population growth, gaining millions of new residents from other regions. Metro areas in Sun Belt states are booming — often in places with histories of voting rights battles.That shift is increasing the political stakes of redistricting in exactly the regions where the Voting Rights Act once had its strongest bite. What they're saying: "This decision is a profound betrayal of the legacy of the civil rights movement," Sophia Lin Lakin, director of the ACLU's Voting Rights Project, said in a statement. NAACP President Derrick Johnson called the ruling "a devastating blow" and "a license for corrupt politicians who want to rig the system."Justice Samuel Alito, who authored the majority opinion, wrote that lower courts have interpreted Section 2 in a way that "forces States to engage in the very race-ba