@999: the Federal government tiptoes very carefully around rights that are specifically given to the States in the Constitution, and Article I, Section 4 specifically states that "the times, places and manner of holding elections for Senators and Representatives, shall be prescribed in each State by the legislature thereof; but the Congress may at any time by law make or alter such regulations, except as the the places of choosing Senators". In other words, the States do whatever they want, unless Congress specifically says otherwise.

The Voting Rights Act does not apply to the entire country, but just to those parts that had a record of disenfranchisement when it was passed in 1965. That includes Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi,South Carolina, most of North Carolina, Texas, much of Virginia, part of Florida, and some scattered locations in the north and west. Some areas have since gotten out from under it, but no additional areas have been added.