Passed in 1965 during the height of the Civil Rights movement, the VotingRights Act (VRA) changed the face of the American electorate, dramaticallyincreasing minority voting, especially in the South. While portions of the Act arepermanent, certain provisions were set to expire in 2007. Reauthorization of theseprovisions passed by a wide margin in the House, and unanimously in the Senate, butthe lopsided tally hid a deep and growing conflict. The Most Fundamental Right is aneffort to understand the debate over the Act and its role in contemporary Americandemocracy. Is the VRA the cornerstone of civil rights law that prevents unfairvoting practices, or is it an anachronism that no longer serves American democracy?Divided into three sections, the book utilizes a point/counterpoint approach.Section 1 explains the legal and political context of the Act, providing importantbackground for what follows; Section 2 pairs three debates concerning specificprovisions or applications of the Act; while Section 3 offers commentaries on theprevious chapters from attorneys with widely divergent viewpoints.