But the meltdown was also a manifestation of a landmark Supreme Court case that gutted a key provision of the Voting Rights Act.

“Everything is happening at once right now,” said University of Georgia law professor Lori Ringhand, citing the pandemic, states like Georgia moving to new voting machines and years of legal wrangling over racial discrimination and election security.

Georgia Democratic Party Chairwoman Nikema Williams said the anxiety among many in her party is a reminder that a full-strength Voting Rights Act is needed, though she accepts that federal law won’t change before November.

Voting rights advocates sued there anyway under the remaining law’s general prohibition on discrimination, but a federal District Court ruled the overhauled precinct plan was allowable.

A federal appeals court ruled against the law, using Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act.