This bill updates the Voting Rights Act of 1965. It revises the rules courts use to decide when voting laws dilute, deny, or abridge votes. It adds new definitions for vote "dilution," vote "denial or abridgement," and for intentional discrimination. The bill creates a new practice-based preclearance process that can require states and localities to get court or Department of Justice approval before implementing certain covered changes (for example, some changes to election methods, redistricting, voter ID rules, multilingual materials, polling locations, and voter list maintenance). It revises how the Attorney General counts past voting-rights violations to decide which States or political subdivisions need preclearance and for how long. The bill also adds deadlines and public-notice rules for election changes, requires public disclosure of polling-place resources and demographic and electoral data for redistricting, expands the Attorney General's investigatory authorities, clarifies who may sue to enforce voting rights, updates standards for preliminary and preventive relief, adds rules on assignment of observers, defines terms about Indian lands, and authorizes grants to small jurisdictions to help meet notice requirements.
No publicly available information. The bill creates a grants program to help small jurisdictions with notice requirements but does not specify funding amounts or totals in the text provided.
No publicly available information in the bill text describing statements by proponents. The bill's title and text state it is intended "to amend the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to revise the criteria for determining which States and political subdivisions are subject to section 4 of the Act, and for other purposes," and the text shows the bill would strengthen preclearance, increase transparency about election changes, and expand enforcement tools.
No publicly available information in the bill text describing statements by opponents. The bill text does not include opponent statements or analyses.