The Voting Rights Act (VRA) of 1965 is a landmark U.S. federal law that aimed to overcome legal barriers at state and local levels that prevented African Americans and other racial minorities from exercising their right to vote as guaranteed by the Fifteenth Amendment. Signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson on August 6, 1965, it is considered one of the most comprehensive civil rights legislations in U.S. history. The Act prohibits racial discrimination in voting through measures such as outlawing literacy tests and other discriminatory practices. It included special provisions like Section 5, which required certain jurisdictions with histories of discrimination to obtain federal approval before changing voting laws, and Section 2, which prohibits voting practices that discriminate based on race or color nationwide. The VRA expanded voting rights and protections for minorities, including language minorities, significantly widening the franchise and enabling all American citizens to vote without fear of discrimination.