August 25, 2014 5:16 PM

Texas is said to be in the crosshairs for a return to pre-clearance under the VRA

A draft formula is expected to be met with mixed reactions in Texas

Election attorneys at the National Conference of State Legislatures agreed that Texas, along with North Carolina and Georgia, is in the federal crosshairs to be returned to pre-clearance under the Voting Rights Act.

Shelby Co. v Holder was the landmark US Supreme Court decision last summer that struck down preclearance of voting maps for the nine states and six jurisdictions identified under the Voting Rights Act. In the decision, Chief Justice John Roberts called the formula set out in Section 4 to determine the states with a practice of discrimination outdated and called on new standards, if any, for preclearance.

What nags at state leaders is that a temporary solution in 1965 has now become a permanent burden on a number of southern states, from city councils to school districts to statehouse maps, along with Congressional districts. Preclearance, as it was drawn up in 1965, still applies to nine states and six jurisdictions.

By Kimberly Reeves