In general, do you support or oppose Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act?

Support (57%) – "Ideally we don't gerrymander at all, but if we're gonna gerrymander - and nothing is stopping the overall practice of gerrymandering anytime soon - then race should be a factor under consideration. So should wealth, education, resources, etc. No one should face the tyranny of the majority without a fair shake."

• "On the surface it seems like the voting rights act as it stands is resulting in fair representation; 2 black districts out of 6. I would go further and elect people based on the popular vote in each state, not these sneaky gerrymandered districts."

"It’s happened time and time and time and time and time again that state legislatures in the US have drawn maps that disenfranchise nonwhite voters: we have to ensure that everyone gets appropriate representation."

• "I believe that in a democracy, all voices have the right to be heard and not suppressed for any reason. Representation should reflect the those voters; forcing single party rule via court fiat is appalling."

"I support section 2 of the voting rights act because I think everyone should be counted on the map because if it's white or black and or black or white. All of us, including the majority and minority races, deserve to be heard and seen by the maps. That way no one is left out when it comes to voting, and no one is left out when it comes to redistricting maps. Everyone deserves to be heard like the nation and country we are."

Oppose (25%) – "I believe it is in everyone's best interest to keep race, religion, gender, sexual persuasion and other social factors out of politics completely. Social issues have dominated our politics far too long. Meanwhile national debt and taxes continue their upward spiral. We need to be more concerned with how we're going to retire $34 trillion in debt before we even talk about anything else. Otherwise we won't have a country to worry about at all!"

• "Isn't the idea of looking at someone's race when making a decision about anything racist? Race doesn't matter. Skin color doesn't matter. If district lines carved out districts for Asians, or Hispanics, or African Americans, I would still be against. We wouldn't decide districts based on education level or socioeconomic status, so why do it for race?"

"Other than a blanket prohibition of race being used for any decision, race should never enter the discussion. We need a blind playing field. If we can't achieve this, we will always have groups of people feeling superior or entitled over other groups. And that's exactly what we have here - one racial group feeling like they are entitled to have more simply based on race. Section 2 served its purpose, but now it is time to take the next step to true equality and remove racial preferences, replacing them with racial neutrality - all equal - none superior."

Unsure/other (18%) – "I agree with the premise that Section 2 of the VRA was based on and that it served a valid purpose. I also agree with the contention that the facts on the ground when the VRA was written or even the last time it was used in a court case to substantiate or rationalize an action should not be used to justify a new action or the continuation of an earlier one. Past transgressions should not enable permanent changes to be implemented with no further review. That would be akin to treating an adult, who once shoplifted as a child, as a thief on every trip to a store for the rest of their lives despite no lawbreaking since."

• "Get rid of the maps altogether! However number of congressional seats a state has, that’s how many people everyone gets to vote for. I’m in Colorado and we have 8 seats. I want all the candidates running on every ballot and then to be able to vote for the 8 I think represent my state and the country’s interests best. I also want an age cap, term limits and they shouldn’t get health insurance for life. But those are separate issues."