ABSTRACT
The ban on racial discrimination was permanent. It did not need periodic extensions. But because preclearance was at odds with dual federalism and states' rights, the Voting Rights Act established preclearance for only five years. Preclearance was considered necessary because prior to 1965 discrimination against blacks had continued despite the Fifteenth Amendment's guarantee that the right to vote should not be denied or abridged on account of race. The preclearance feature of the act was scheduled to end in 1982 if it was not renewed by Congress. Many southerners regarded the continuation of preclearance as an unfair form of regional discrimination. Senator Thad Cochran of Mississippi complained that because of preclearance local officials had to "go to Washington, get on their knees, kiss the ring, and tug their forelock to third-rate bureaucrats". The strength of the black commitment to preclearance created a problem for the Reagan administration.
