Voting Rights Act: Still Necessary In Georgia?

A YouTube video shows part of an exchange between Georgia's 10th District U.S. Rep. Paul Broun and 5th District Rep. John Lewis.

Lewis, whose district comprises all of East Atlanta Patch, confronts Broun over an amendment Broun proposed that would would eliminate funding for Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act, which requires federal oversight of voting laws in Georgia and several other states.

Broun — who under new District 10 boundaries will represent much of Northeast Georgia, including most of Athens-Clarke County; all of Oconee, Walton and Barrow; and part of Gwinnett — is shown withdrawing the amendment after Lewis' remarks.

No doubt, many black Americans of a certain generation in the South remember when voting was a priviledge not afforded them.

But it's now 2012 and the American South has elected black mayors, congressmen and governors. And of course, the current president, Barack Obama, himself is half-black, suggesting the nation has progressed.

Should the state of Georgia still be subject to the Voting Rights Act? Tell us in the comments.