IB 

Union Calendar No. 258 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 4 

[Report No. 116–317] 

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. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 26, 2019 

Ms. SEWELL of Alabama (for herself, Mr. LEWIS, Ms. PELOSI, Mr. HOYER, 

Mr. CLYBURN, Mr. LUJA ́N, Ms. JUDY CHU of California, Mr. CASTRO of 

Texas, Mr. JEFFRIES, Ms. ADAMS, Mr. AGUILAR, Mr. ALLRED, Ms. 

BASS, Mrs. BEATTY, Mr. BERA, Mr. BEYER, Mr. BISHOP of Georgia, Mr. 

BLUMENAUER, Ms. BLUNT ROCHESTER, Ms. BONAMICI, Mr. BRENDAN

F. BOYLE of Pennsylvania, Mr. BROWN of Maryland, Ms. BROWNLEY of 

California, Mrs. BUSTOS, Mr. BUTTERFIELD, Mr. CA ́RDENAS, Mr. CARSON of Indiana, Mr. CARTWRIGHT, Mr. CICILLINE, Mr. CISNEROS, Ms. 

CLARK of Massachusetts, Ms. CLARKE of New York, Mr. CLAY, Mr. 

CLEAVER, Mr. CONNOLLY, Mr. COOPER, Mr. COSTA, Mr. COX of California, Mrs. CRAIG, Mr. CRIST, Mr. CUMMINGS, Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS

of Illinois, Ms. DEAN, Ms. DEGETTE, Ms. DELAURO, Ms. DELBENE, Mr. 

DELGADO, Mrs. DEMINGS, Mr. DEUTCH, Mrs. DINGELL, Mr. DOGGETT, 

Mr. MICHAEL F. DOYLE of Pennsylvania, Mr. ENGEL, Ms. ESCOBAR, Ms. 

ESHOO, Mr. ESPAILLAT, Mr. GALLEGO, Mr. GARAMENDI, Mr. GOMEZ, 

Mr. GOTTHEIMER, Mr. GREEN of Texas, Ms. HAALAND, Mr. HASTINGS, 

Mr. HECK, Mr. HIGGINS of New York, Ms. HILL of California, Mr. 

HIMES, Mr. HORSFORD, Mr. HUFFMAN, Ms. JACKSON LEE, Ms. 

JAYAPAL, Ms. JOHNSON of Texas, Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia, Mr. 

KEATING, Ms. KELLY of Illinois, Mr. KHANNA, Mr. KILMER, Mrs. KIRKPATRICK, Mr. KRISHNAMOORTHI, Ms. KUSTER of New Hampshire, Mr. 

LAMB, Mr. LARSEN of Washington, Mr. LARSON of Connecticut, Mrs. 

LAWRENCE, Mr. LAWSON of Florida, Ms. LEE of California, Mr. TED

LIEU of California, Mr. LOWENTHAL, Mrs. LOWEY, Mr. LYNCH, Mrs. 

CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York, Mr. SEAN PATRICK MALONEY of 

New York, Ms. MATSUI, Mrs. MCBATH, Ms. MCCOLLUM, Mr. 

MCEACHIN, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr. MEEKS, Ms. MENG, Ms. MOORE, Mr. 


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MORELLE, Mr. MOULTON, Ms. MUCARSEL-POWELL, Mrs. MURPHY, Mrs. 

NAPOLITANO, Mr. NORCROSS, Ms. NORTON, Ms. OCASIO-CORTEZ, Ms. 

OMAR, Mr. PALLONE, Mr. PANETTA, Mr. PAPPAS, Mr. PASCRELL, Mr. 

PERLMUTTER, Mr. PETERS, Ms. PLASKETT, Mr. POCAN, Ms. PRESSLEY, 

Mr. PRICE of North Carolina, Mr. QUIGLEY, Mr. RASKIN, Miss RICE of 

New York, Mr. ROUDA, Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD, Mr. RUPPERSBERGER, Mr. 

RUSH, Mr. RYAN, Ms. SA ́NCHEZ, Ms. SCANLON, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Mr. 

SCHIFF, Mr. SCHNEIDER, Ms. SCHRIER, Mr. SCOTT of Virginia, Mr. 

DAVID SCOTT of Georgia, Mr. SERRANO, Ms. SHALALA, Mr. SHERMAN, 

Ms. SHERRILL, Mr. SIRES, Mr. SMITH of Washington, Mr. SOTO, Ms. 

SPANBERGER, Ms. SPEIER, Mr. SUOZZI, Mr. SWALWELL of California, 

Mr. TAKANO, Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi, Ms. TITUS, Ms. TLAIB, Mr. 

TONKO, Mrs. TORRES of California, Mrs. TRAHAN, Mr. VELA, Ms. 

WASSERMAN SCHULTZ, Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN, Mr. WELCH, Ms. WILD, 

Ms. WILSON of Florida, Mr. CASE, Mr. CASTEN of Illinois, Ms. CASTOR

of Florida, Mr. COHEN, Ms. DAVIDS of Kansas, Mr. DESAULNIER, Ms. 

FINKENAUER, Mrs. FLETCHER, Mr. FOSTER, Mr. CUELLAR, Mr. CROW, 

Ms. FUDGE, Mr. KILDEE, Mr. KIND, Mr. LEVIN of Michigan, Mr. LEVIN

of California, Mr. LOEBSACK, Ms. LOFGREN, Mr. NEGUSE, Mr. MCNERNEY, Mr. PHILLIPS, Ms. PINGREE, Mr. RUIZ, Mr. SARBANES, Ms. 

SLOTKIN, Mr. STANTON, Ms. STEVENS, Mr. THOMPSON of California, 

Ms. UNDERWOOD, Mr. VEASEY, Ms. VELA ́ZQUEZ, Ms. WATERS, Ms. 

WEXTON, Ms. PORTER, Mr. VARGAS, Mr. GARCI ́A of Illinois, Mr. GONZALEZ of Texas, Mr. TRONE, Mr. COURTNEY, Ms. KENDRA S. HORN of 

Oklahoma, Ms. BARRAGA ́N, Mrs. DAVIS of California, Mr. EVANS, Ms. 

FRANKEL, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mrs. HAYES, Mr. NADLER, Mr. KENNEDY, and 

Ms. HOULAHAN) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on the Judiciary 

NOVEMBER 29, 2019 

Additional sponsors: Mr. YARMUTH, Mrs. LEE of Nevada, Mr. KIM, Ms. GARCIA of Texas, Mr. CARBAJAL, Mr. DEFAZIO, Mr. O’HALLERAN, Mr. 

ROSE of New York, Mr. PAYNE, Mrs. LURIA, Mrs. AXNE, Mr. NEAL, Mr. 

MALINOWSKI, Mr. LANGEVIN, Ms. GABBARD, Ms. KAPTUR, Mr. VISCLOSKY, Mr. CORREA, Mr. SCHRADER, Ms. TORRES SMALL of New Mexico, Mr. GOLDEN, and Mr. CUNNINGHAM


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NOVEMBER 29, 2019 

Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole 

House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed 

[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] 

[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on February 26, 2019] 


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A BILL 

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. 


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1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Voting Rights Advance5 ment Act of 2019’’. 

6 SEC. 2. VIOLATIONS TRIGGERING AUTHORITY OF COURT TO 

7 RETAIN JURISDICTION. 

8 (a) TYPES OF VIOLATIONS.—Section 3(c) of the Voting 

9 Rights Act of 1965 (52 U.S.C. 10302(c)) is amended by 

10 striking ‘‘violations of the fourteenth or fifteenth amend11 ment’’ and inserting ‘‘violations of the 14th or 15th Amend12 ment, violations of this Act, or violations of any Federal 

13 law that prohibits discrimination in voting on the basis 

14 of race, color, or membership in a language minority 

15 group,’’. 

16 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 3(a) of such 

17 Act (52 U.S.C. 10302(a)) is amended by striking ‘‘viola18 tions of the fourteenth or fifteenth amendment’’ and insert19 ing ‘‘violations of the 14th or 15th Amendment, violations 

20 of this Act, or violations of any Federal law that prohibits 

21 discrimination in voting on the basis of race, color, or mem22 bership in a language minority group,’’. 


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1 SEC. 3. CRITERIA FOR COVERAGE OF STATES AND POLIT2 ICAL SUBDIVISIONS. 

3 (a) DETERMINATION OF STATES AND POLITICAL SUB4 DIVISIONS SUBJECT TO SECTION 4(a).— 

5 (1) IN GENERAL.—Section 4(b) of the Voting 

6 Rights Act of 1965 (52 U.S.C. 10303(b)) is amended 

7 to read as follows: 

8 ‘‘(b) DETERMINATION OF STATES AND POLITICAL SUB9 DIVISIONS SUBJECT TO REQUIREMENTS.— 

10 ‘‘(1) EXISTENCE OF VOTING RIGHTS VIOLATIONS

11 DURING PREVIOUS 25 YEARS.— 

12 ‘‘(A) STATEWIDE APPLICATION.—Subsection 

13 (a) applies with respect to a State and all polit14 ical subdivisions within the State during a cal15 endar year if— 

16 ‘‘(i) 15 or more voting rights violations 

17 occurred in the State during the previous 25 

18 calendar years; or 

19 ‘‘(ii) 10 or more voting rights viola20 tions occurred in the State during the pre21 vious 25 calendar years, at least one of 

22 which was committed by the State itself (as 

23 opposed to a political subdivision within 

24 the State). 

25 ‘‘(B) APPLICATION TO SPECIFIC POLITICAL

26 SUBDIVISIONS.—Subsection (a) applies with reVerDate Sep 11 2014 20:32 Nov 29, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H4.RH H4

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1 spect to a political subdivision as a separate 

2 unit during a calendar year if 3 or more voting 

3 rights violations occurred in the subdivision dur4 ing the previous 25 calendar years. 

5 ‘‘(2) PERIOD OF APPLICATION.— 

6 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in 

7 subparagraph (B), if, pursuant to paragraph 

8 (1), subsection (a) applies with respect to a State 

9 or political subdivision during a calendar year, 

10 subsection (a) shall apply with respect to such 

11 State or political subdivision for the period— 

12 ‘‘(i) that begins on January 1 of the 

13 year in which subsection (a) applies; and 

14 ‘‘(ii) that ends on the date which is 10 

15 years after the date described in clause (i). 

16 ‘‘(B) NO FURTHER APPLICATION AFTER DE17 CLARATORY JUDGMENT.— 

18 ‘‘(i) STATES.—If a State obtains a de19 claratory judgment under subsection (a), 

20 and the judgment remains in effect, sub21 section (a) shall no longer apply to such 

22 State pursuant to paragraph (1)(A) unless, 

23 after the issuance of the declaratory judg24 ment, paragraph (1)(A) applies to the State 

25 solely on the basis of voting rights violations 


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1 occurring after the issuance of the declara2 tory judgment. 

3 ‘‘(ii) POLITICAL SUBDIVISIONS.—If a 

4 political subdivision obtains a declaratory 

5 judgment under subsection (a), and the 

6 judgment remains in effect, subsection (a) 

7 shall no longer apply to such political sub8 division pursuant to paragraph (1), includ9 ing pursuant to paragraph (1)(A) (relating 

10 to the statewide application of subsection 

11 (a)), unless, after the issuance of the declar12 atory judgment, paragraph (1)(B) applies 

13 to the political subdivision solely on the 

14 basis of voting rights violations occurring 

15 after the issuance of the declaratory judg16 ment. 

17 ‘‘(3) DETERMINATION OF VOTING RIGHTS VIOLA18 TION.—For purposes of paragraph (1), a voting rights 

19 violation occurred in a State or political subdivision 

20 if any of the following applies: 

21 ‘‘(A) FINAL JUDGMENT; VIOLATION OF THE

22 14TH OR 15TH AMENDMENT.—In a final judg23 ment (which has not been reversed on appeal), 

24 any court of the United States has determined 

25 that a denial or abridgement of the right of any 


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1 citizen of the United States to vote on account of 

2 race, color, or membership in a language minor3 ity group, in violation of the 14th or 15th 

4 Amendment, occurred anywhere within the State 

5 or subdivision. 

6 ‘‘(B) FINAL JUDGMENT; VIOLATIONS OF

7 THIS ACT.—In a final judgment (which has not 

8 been reversed on appeal), any court of the United 

9 States has determined that a voting qualification 

10 or prerequisite to voting or standard, practice, or 

11 procedure with respect to voting was imposed or 

12 applied or would have been imposed or applied 

13 anywhere within the State or subdivision in a 

14 manner that resulted or would have resulted in 

15 a denial or abridgement of the right of any cit16 izen of the United States to vote on account of 

17 race, color, or membership in a language minor18 ity group, in violation of subsection (e) or (f), or 

19 section 2 or 203 of this Act. 

20 ‘‘(C) FINAL JUDGMENT; DENIAL OF DECLAR21 ATORY JUDGMENT.—In a final judgment (which 

22 has not been reversed on appeal), any court of 

23 the United States has denied the request of the 

24 State or subdivision for a declaratory judgment 

25 under section 3(c) or section 5, and thereby preVerDate Sep 11 2014 20:32 Nov 29, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H4.RH H4

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1 vented a voting qualification or prerequisite to 

2 voting or standard, practice, or procedure with 

3 respect to voting from being enforced anywhere 

4 within the State or subdivision. 

5 ‘‘(D) OBJECTION BY THE ATTORNEY GEN6 ERAL.—The Attorney General has interposed an 

7 objection under section 3(c) or section 5 (and the 

8 objection has not been overturned by a final 

9 judgment of a court or withdrawn by the Attor10 ney General), and thereby prevented a voting 

11 qualification or prerequisite to voting or stand12 ard, practice, or procedure with respect to voting 

13 from being enforced anywhere within the State 

14 or subdivision. 

15 ‘‘(E) CONSENT DECREE, SETTLEMENT, OR

16 OTHER AGREEMENT.—A consent decree, settle17 ment, or other agreement was entered into, which 

18 resulted in the alteration or abandonment of a 

19 voting practice anywhere in the territory of such 

20 State that was challenged on the ground that the 

21 practice denied or abridged the right of any cit22 izen of the United States to vote on account of 

23 race, color, or membership in a language minor24 ity group in violation of subsection (e) or (f), or 


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1 section 2 or 203 of this Act, or the 14th or 15th 

2 Amendment. 

3 ‘‘(4) TIMING OF DETERMINATIONS.— 

4 ‘‘(A) DETERMINATIONS OF VOTING RIGHTS

5 VIOLATIONS.—As early as practicable during 

6 each calendar year, the Attorney General shall 

7 make the determinations required by this sub8 section, including updating the list of voting 

9 rights violations occurring in each State and po10 litical subdivision for the previous calendar year. 

11 ‘‘(B) EFFECTIVE UPON PUBLICATION IN

12 FEDERAL REGISTER.—A determination or cer13 tification of the Attorney General under this sec14 tion or under section 8 or 13 shall be effective 

15 upon publication in the Federal Register.’’. 

16 (2) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—Section 4(a) of 

17 such Act (52 U.S.C. 10303(a)) is amended— 

18 (A) in paragraph (1), in the first sentence 

19 of the matter preceding subparagraph (A), by 

20 striking ‘‘any State with respect to which’’ and 

21 all that follows through ‘‘unless’’ and inserting 

22 ‘‘any State to which this subsection applies dur23 ing a calendar year pursuant to determinations 

24 made under subsection (b), or in any political 

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1 isted on the date such determinations were made 

2 with respect to such State), though such deter3 minations were not made with respect to such 

4 subdivision as a separate unit, or in any polit5 ical subdivision with respect to which this sub6 section applies during a calendar year pursuant 

7 to determinations made with respect to such sub8 division as a separate unit under subsection (b), 

9 unless’’; 

10 (B) in paragraph (1) in the matter pre11 ceding subparagraph (A), by striking the second 

12 sentence; 

13 (C) in paragraph (1)(A), by striking ‘‘(in 

14 the case of a State or subdivision seeking a de15 claratory judgment under the second sentence of 

16 this subsection)’’; 

17 (D) in paragraph (1)(B), by striking ‘‘(in 

18 the case of a State or subdivision seeking a de19 claratory judgment under the second sentence of 

20 this subsection)’’; 

21 (E) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘(in the 

22 case of a State or subdivision seeking a declara23 tory judgment under the second sentence of this 

24 subsection)’’; 


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1 (F) in paragraph (5), by striking ‘‘(in the 

2 case of a State or subdivision which sought a de3 claratory judgment under the second sentence of 

4 this subsection)’’; 

5 (G) by striking paragraphs (7) and (8); and 

6 (H) by redesignating paragraph (9) as 

7 paragraph (7). 

8 (b) CLARIFICATION OF TREATMENT OF MEMBERS OF

9 LANGUAGE MINORITY GROUPS.—Section 4(a)(1) of such 

10 Act (52 U.S.C. 10303(a)(1)) is amended by striking ‘‘race 

11 or color,’’ and inserting ‘‘race, color, or in contravention 

12 of the guarantees of subsection (f)(2),’’. 

13 SEC. 4. DETERMINATION OF STATES AND POLITICAL SUB14 DIVISIONS SUBJECT TO PRECLEARANCE FOR 

15 COVERED PRACTICES. 

16 The Voting Rights Act of 1965 (52 U.S.C. 10301 et 

17 seq.) is further amended by inserting after section 4 the fol18 lowing: 

19 ‘‘SEC. 4A. DETERMINATION OF STATES AND POLITICAL SUB20 DIVISIONS SUBJECT TO PRECLEARANCE FOR 

21 COVERED PRACTICES. 

22 ‘‘(a) PRACTICE-BASED PRECLEARANCE.— 

23 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Each State and each polit24 ical subdivision shall— 


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1 ‘‘(A) identify any newly enacted or adopted 

2 law, regulation, or policy that includes a voting 

3 qualification or prerequisite to voting, or a 

4 standard, practice, or procedure with respect to 

5 voting, that is a covered practice described in 

6 subsection (b); and 

7 ‘‘(B) ensure that no such covered practice is 

8 implemented unless or until the State or polit9 ical subdivision, as the case may be, complies 

10 with subsection (c). 

11 ‘‘(2) DETERMINATIONS OF CHARACTERISTICS OF

12 VOTING-AGE POPULATION.— 

13 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—As early as practicable 

14 during each calendar year, the Attorney General, 

15 in consultation with the Director of the Bureau 

16 of the Census and the heads of other relevant of17 fices of the government, shall make the deter18 minations required by this section regarding vot19 ing-age populations and the characteristics of 

20 such populations, and shall publish a list of the 

21 States and political subdivisions to which a vot22 ing-age population characteristic described in 

23 subsection (b) applies. 

24 ‘‘(B) PUBLICATION IN THE FEDERAL REG25 ISTER.—A determination or certification of the 


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1 Attorney General under this paragraph shall be 

2 effective upon publication in the Federal Reg3 ister. 

4 ‘‘(b) COVERED PRACTICES.—To assure that the right 

5 of citizens of the United States to vote is not denied or 

6 abridged on account of race, color, or membership in a lan7 guage minority group as a result of the implementation of 

8 certain qualifications or prerequisites to voting, or stand9 ards, practices, or procedures with respect to voting newly 

10 adopted in a State or political subdivision, the following 

11 shall be covered practices subject to the requirements de12 scribed in subsection (a): 

13 ‘‘(1) CHANGES TO METHOD OF ELECTION.—Any 

14 change to the method of election— 

15 ‘‘(A) to add seats elected at-large in a State 

16 or political subdivision where— 

17 ‘‘(i) 2 or more racial groups or lan18 guage minority groups each represent 20 

19 percent or more of the political subdivision’s 

20 voting-age population; or 

21 ‘‘(ii) a single language minority group 

22 represents 20 percent or more of the voting23 age population on Indian lands located in 

24 whole or in part in the political subdivi25 sion; or 


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1 ‘‘(B) to convert one or more seats elected 

2 from a single-member district to one or more at3 large seats or seats from a multi-member district 

4 in a State or political subdivision where— 

5 ‘‘(i) 2 or more racial groups or lan6 guage minority groups each represent 20 

7 percent or more of the political subdivision’s 

8 voting-age population; or 

9 ‘‘(ii) a single language minority group 

10 represents 20 percent or more of the voting11 age population on Indian lands located in 

12 whole or in part in the political subdivi13 sion. 

14 ‘‘(2) CHANGES TO JURISDICTION BOUNDARIES.— 

15 Any change or series of changes within a year to the 

16 boundaries of a jurisdiction that reduces by 3 or more 

17 percentage points the proportion of the jurisdiction’s 

18 voting-age population that is comprised of members of 

19 a single racial group or language minority group in 

20 a State or political subdivision where— 

21 ‘‘(A) 2 or more racial groups or language 

22 minority groups each represent 20 percent or 

23 more of the political subdivision’s voting-age 

24 population; or 


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1 ‘‘(B) a single language minority group rep2 resents 20 percent or more of the voting-age pop3 ulation on Indian lands located in whole or in 

4 part in the political subdivision. 

5 ‘‘(3) CHANGES THROUGH REDISTRICTING.—Any 

6 change to the boundaries of election districts in a 

7 State or political subdivision where any racial group 

8 or language minority group experiences a population 

9 increase, over the preceding decade (as calculated by 

10 the Bureau of the Census under the most recent decen11 nial census), of at least— 

12 ‘‘(A) 10,000; or 

13 ‘‘(B) 20 percent of voting-age population of 

14 the State or political subdivision, as the case 

15 may be. 

16 ‘‘(4) CHANGES IN DOCUMENTATION OR QUALI17 FICATIONS TO VOTE.—Any change to requirements for 

18 documentation or proof of identity to vote such that 

19 the requirements will exceed or be more stringent than 

20 the requirements for voting that are described in sec21 tion 303(b) of the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (52 

22 U.S.C. 21083(b)) or any change to the requirements 

23 for documentation or proof of identity to register to 

24 vote that will exceed or be more stringent than such 

25 requirements under State law on the day before the 


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1 date of enactment of the Voting Rights Advancement 

2 Act of 2019. 

3 ‘‘(5) CHANGES TO MULTILINGUAL VOTING MATE4 RIALS.—Any change that reduces multilingual voting 

5 materials or alters the manner in which such mate6 rials are provided or distributed, where no similar re7 duction or alteration occurs in materials provided in 

8 English for such election. 

9 ‘‘(6) CHANGES THAT REDUCE, CONSOLIDATE, OR

10 RELOCATE VOTING LOCATIONS.—Any change that re11 duces, consolidates, or relocates voting locations, in12 cluding early, absentee, and election-day voting loca13 tions— 

14 ‘‘(A) in 1 or more census tracts wherein 2 

15 or more language minority groups or racial 

16 groups each represent 20 percent or more of the 

17 voting-age population of the political subdivi18 sion; or 

19 ‘‘(B) on Indian lands wherein at least 20 

20 percent of the voting-age population belongs to a 

21 single language minority group. 

22 ‘‘(c) PRECLEARANCE.— 

23 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Whenever a State or polit24 ical subdivision with respect to which the require25 ments set forth in subsection (a) are in effect shall 


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1 enact, adopt, or seek to implement any covered prac2 tice described under subsection (b), such State or sub3 division may institute an action in the United States 

4 District Court for the District of Columbia for a de5 claratory judgment that such covered practice neither 

6 has the purpose nor will have the effect of denying or 

7 abridging the right to vote on account of race, color, 

8 or membership in a language minority group, and 

9 unless and until the court enters such judgment such 

10 covered practice shall not be implemented. Notwith11 standing the previous sentence, such covered practice 

12 may be implemented without such proceeding if the 

13 covered practice has been submitted by the chief legal 

14 officer or other appropriate official of such State or 

15 subdivision to the Attorney General and the Attorney 

16 General has not interposed an objection within 60 

17 days after such submission, or upon good cause 

18 shown, to facilitate an expedited approval within 60 

19 days after such submission, the Attorney General has 

20 affirmatively indicated that such objection will not be 

21 made. Neither an affirmative indication by the Attor22 ney General that no objection will be made, nor the 

23 Attorney General’s failure to object, nor a declaratory 

24 judgment entered under this section shall bar a subse25 quent action to enjoin implementation of such covered 


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1 practice. In the event the Attorney General affirma2 tively indicates that no objection will be made within 

3 the 60-day period following receipt of a submission, 

4 the Attorney General may reserve the right to reexam5 ine the submission if additional information comes to 

6 the Attorney General’s attention during the remain7 der of the 60-day period which would otherwise re8 quire objection in accordance with this section. Any 

9 action under this section shall be heard and deter10 mined by a court of three judges in accordance with 

11 the provisions of section 2284 of title 28, United 

12 States Code, and any appeal shall lie to the Supreme 

13 Court. 

14 ‘‘(2) DENYING OR ABRIDGING THE RIGHT TO

15 VOTE.—Any covered practice described in subsection 

16 (b) that has the purpose of or will have the effect of 

17 diminishing the ability of any citizens of the United 

18 States on account of race, color, or membership in a 

19 language minority group, to elect their preferred can20 didates of choice denies or abridges the right to vote 

21 within the meaning of paragraph (1) of this sub22 section. 

23 ‘‘(3) PURPOSE DEFINED.—The term ‘purpose’ in 

24 paragraphs (1) and (2) of this subsection shall in25 clude any discriminatory purpose. 


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1 ‘‘(4) PURPOSE OF PARAGRAPH (2).—The purpose 

2 of paragraph (2) of this subsection is to protect the 

3 ability of such citizens to elect their preferred can4 didates of choice. 

5 ‘‘(d) ENFORCEMENT.—The Attorney General or any 

6 aggrieved citizen may file an action in a Federal district 

7 court to compel any State or political subdivision to satisfy 

8 the obligations set forth in this section. Such actions shall 

9 be heard and determined by a court of 3 judges under sec10 tion 2284 of title 28, United States Code. In any such ac11 tion, the court shall provide as a remedy that any voting 

12 qualification or prerequisite to voting, or standard, prac13 tice, or procedure with respect to voting, that is the subject 

14 of the action under this subsection be enjoined unless the 

15 court determines that— 

16 ‘‘(1) the voting qualification or prerequisite to 

17 voting, or standard, practice, or procedure with re18 spect to voting, is not a covered practice described in 

19 subsection (b); or 

20 ‘‘(2) the State or political subdivision has com21 plied with subsection (c) with respect to the covered 

22 practice at issue. 

23 ‘‘(e) COUNTING OF RACIAL GROUPS AND LANGUAGE

24 MINORITY GROUPS.—For purposes of this section, the cal25 culation of the population of a racial group or a language 


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1 minority group shall be carried out using the methodology 

2 in the guidance promulgated in the Federal Register on 

3 February 9, 2011 (76 Fed. Reg. 7470). 

4 ‘‘(f) SPECIAL RULE.—For purposes of determinations 

5 under this section, any data provided by the Bureau of the 

6 Census, whether based on estimation from sample or actual 

7 enumeration, shall not be subject to challenge or review in 

8 any court. 

9 ‘‘(g) MULTILINGUAL VOTING MATERIALS.—In this sec10 tion, the term ‘multilingual voting materials’ means reg11 istration or voting notices, forms, instructions, assistance, 

12 or other materials or information relating to the electoral 

13 process, including ballots, provided in the language or lan14 guages of one or more language minority groups.’’. 

15 SEC. 5. PROMOTING TRANSPARENCY TO ENFORCE THE 

16 VOTING RIGHTS ACT. 

17 (a) TRANSPARENCY.— 

18 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Voting Rights Act of 1965 

19 (52 U.S.C. 10301 et seq.) is amended by inserting 

20 after section 5 the following new section: 

21 ‘‘SEC. 6. TRANSPARENCY REGARDING CHANGES TO PRO22 TECT VOTING RIGHTS. 

23 ‘‘(a) NOTICE OF ENACTED CHANGES.— 

24 ‘‘(1) NOTICE OF CHANGES.—If a State or polit25 ical subdivision makes any change in any preVerDate Sep 11 2014 20:32 Nov 29, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00022 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H4.RH H4

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1 requisite to voting or standard, practice, or procedure 

2 with respect to voting in any election for Federal of3 fice that will result in the prerequisite, standard, 

4 practice, or procedure being different from that which 

5 was in effect as of 180 days before the date of the elec6 tion for Federal office, the State or political subdivi7 sion shall provide reasonable public notice in such 

8 State or political subdivision and on the Internet, of 

9 a concise description of the change, including the dif10 ference between the changed prerequisite, standard, 

11 practice, or procedure and the prerequisite, standard, 

12 practice, or procedure which was previously in effect. 

13 The public notice described in this paragraph, in such 

14 State or political subdivision and on the Internet, 

15 shall be in a format that is reasonably convenient 

16 and accessible to voters with disabilities, including 

17 voters who have low vision or are blind. 

18 ‘‘(2) DEADLINE FOR NOTICE.—A State or polit19 ical subdivision shall provide the public notice re20 quired under paragraph (1) not later than 48 hours 

21 after making the change involved. 

22 ‘‘(b) TRANSPARENCY REGARDING POLLING PLACE RE23 SOURCES.— 

24 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—In order to identify any 

25 changes that may impact the right to vote of any perVerDate Sep 11 2014 20:32 Nov 29, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00023 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H4.RH H4

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1 son, prior to the 30th day before the date of an elec2 tion for Federal office, each State or political subdivi3 sion with responsibility for allocating registered vot4 ers, voting machines, and official poll workers to par5 ticular precincts and polling places shall provide rea6 sonable public notice in such State or political sub7 division and on the Internet, of the information de8 scribed in paragraph (2) for precincts and polling 

9 places within such State or political subdivision. The 

10 public notice described in this paragraph, in such 

11 State or political subdivision and on the Internet, 

12 shall be in a format that is reasonably convenient 

13 and accessible to voters with disabilities including 

14 voters who have low vision or are blind. 

15 ‘‘(2) INFORMATION DESCRIBED.—The informa16 tion described in this paragraph with respect to a 

17 precinct or polling place is each of the following: 

18 ‘‘(A) The name or number. 

19 ‘‘(B) In the case of a polling place, the loca20 tion, including the street address, and whether 

21 such polling place is accessible to persons with 

22 disabilities. 

23 ‘‘(C) The voting-age population of the area 

24 served by the precinct or polling place, broken 

25 down by demographic group if such breakdown 


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1 is reasonably available to such State or political 

2 subdivision. 

3 ‘‘(D) The number of registered voters as4 signed to the precinct or polling place, broken 

5 down by demographic group if such breakdown 

6 is reasonably available to such State or political 

7 subdivision. 

8 ‘‘(E) The number of voting machines as9 signed, including the number of voting machines 

10 accessible to voters with disabilities, including 

11 voters who have low vision or are blind. 

12 ‘‘(F) The number of official paid poll work13 ers assigned. 

14 ‘‘(G) The number of official volunteer poll 

15 workers assigned. 

16 ‘‘(H) In the case of a polling place, the 

17 dates and hours of operation. 

18 ‘‘(3) UPDATES IN INFORMATION REPORTED.—If 

19 a State or political subdivision makes any change in 

20 any of the information described in paragraph (2), 

21 the State or political subdivision shall provide reason22 able public notice in such State or political subdivi23 sion and on the Internet, of the change in the infor24 mation not later than 48 hours after the change oc25 curs or, if the change occurs fewer than 48 hours beVerDate Sep 11 2014 20:32 Nov 29, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00025 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H4.RH H4

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1 fore the date of the election for Federal office, as soon 

2 as practicable after the change occurs. The public no3 tice described in this paragraph in such State or po4 litical subdivision and on the Internet shall be in a 

5 format that is reasonably convenient and accessible to 

6 voters with disabilities including voters who have low 

7 vision or are blind. 

8 ‘‘(c) TRANSPARENCY OF CHANGES RELATING TO DE9 MOGRAPHICS AND ELECTORAL DISTRICTS.— 

10 ‘‘(1) REQUIRING PUBLIC NOTICE OF CHANGES.— 

11 Not later than 10 days after making any change in 

12 the constituency that will participate in an election 

13 for Federal, State, or local office or the boundaries of 

14 a voting unit or electoral district in an election for 

15 Federal, State, or local office (including through re16 districting, reapportionment, changing from at-large 

17 elections to district-based elections, or changing from 

18 district-based elections to at-large elections), a State 

19 or political subdivision shall provide reasonable pub20 lic notice in such State or political subdivision and 

21 on the Internet, of the demographic and electoral data 

22 described in paragraph (3) for each of the geographic 

23 areas described in paragraph (2). 


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1 ‘‘(2) GEOGRAPHIC AREAS DESCRIBED.—The geo2 graphic areas described in this paragraph are as fol3 lows: 

4 ‘‘(A) The State as a whole, if the change ap5 plies statewide, or the political subdivision as a 

6 whole, if the change applies across the entire po7 litical subdivision. 

8 ‘‘(B) If the change includes a plan to re9 place or eliminate voting units or electoral dis10 tricts, each voting unit or electoral district that 

11 will be replaced or eliminated. 

12 ‘‘(C) If the change includes a plan to estab13 lish new voting units or electoral districts, each 

14 such new voting unit or electoral district. 

15 ‘‘(3) DEMOGRAPHIC AND ELECTORAL DATA.—The 

16 demographic and electoral data described in this 

17 paragraph with respect to a geographic area described 

18 in paragraph (2) are each of the following: 

19 ‘‘(A) The voting-age population, broken 

20 down by demographic group. 

21 ‘‘(B) If it is reasonably available to the 

22 State or political subdivision involved, an esti23 mate of the population of the area which consists 

24 of citizens of the United States who are 18 years 


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1 of age or older, broken down by demographic 

2 group. 

3 ‘‘(C) The number of registered voters, broken 

4 down by demographic group if such breakdown 

5 is reasonably available to the State or political 

6 subdivision involved. 

7 ‘‘(D)(i) If the change applies to a State, the 

8 actual number of votes, or (if it is not reasonably 

9 practicable for the State to ascertain the actual 

10 number of votes) the estimated number of votes 

11 received by each candidate in each statewide 

12 election held during the 5-year period which ends 

13 on the date the change involved is made; and 

14 ‘‘(ii) if the change applies to only one polit15 ical subdivision, the actual number of votes, or 

16 (if it is not reasonably practicable for the polit17 ical subdivision to ascertain the actual number 

18 of votes) in each subdivision-wide election held 

19 during the 5-year period which ends on the date 

20 the change involved is made. 

21 ‘‘(4) VOLUNTARY COMPLIANCE BY SMALLER JU22 RISDICTIONS.—Compliance with this subsection shall 

23 be voluntary for a political subdivision of a State un24 less the subdivision is one of the following: 

25 ‘‘(A) A county or parish. 


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1 ‘‘(B) A municipality with a population 

2 greater than 10,000, as determined by the Bu3 reau of the Census under the most recent decen4 nial census. 

5 ‘‘(C) A school district with a population 

6 greater than 10,000, as determined by the Bu7 reau of the Census under the most recent decen8 nial census. For purposes of this subparagraph, 

9 the term ‘school district’ means the geographic 

10 area under the jurisdiction of a local educational 

11 agency (as defined in section 9101 of the Ele12 mentary and Secondary Education Act of 1965). 

13 ‘‘(d) RULES REGARDING FORMAT OF INFORMATION.— 

14 The Attorney General may issue rules specifying a reason15 ably convenient and accessible format that States and polit16 ical subdivisions shall use to provide public notice of infor17 mation under this section. 

18 ‘‘(e) NO DENIAL OF RIGHT TO VOTE.—The right to 

19 vote of any person shall not be denied or abridged because 

20 the person failed to comply with any change made by a 

21 State or political subdivision to a voting qualification, 

22 standard, practice, or procedure if the State or political 

23 subdivision involved did not meet the applicable require24 ments of this section with respect to the change. 

25 ‘‘(f) DEFINITIONS.—In this section— 


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1 ‘‘(1) the term ‘demographic group’ means each 

2 group which section 2 protects from the denial or 

3 abridgement of the right to vote on account of race or 

4 color, or in contravention of the guarantees set forth 

5 in section 4(f)(2); 

6 ‘‘(2) the term ‘election for Federal office’ means 

7 any general, special, primary, or runoff election held 

8 solely or in part for the purpose of electing any can9 didate for the office of President, Vice President, Pres10 idential elector, Senator, Member of the House of Rep11 resentatives, or Delegate or Resident Commissioner to 

12 the Congress; and 

13 ‘‘(3) the term ‘persons with disabilities’, means 

14 individuals with a disability, as defined in section 3 

15 of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.’’. 

16 (2) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 3(a) of 

17 such Act (52 U.S.C. 10302(a)) is amended by striking 

18 ‘‘in accordance with section 6’’. 

19 (b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment made by sub20 section (a)(1) shall apply with respect to changes which are 

21 made on or after the expiration of the 60-day period which 

22 begins on the date of the enactment of this Act. 

23 SEC. 6. AUTHORITY TO ASSIGN OBSERVERS. 

24 (a) CLARIFICATION OF AUTHORITY IN POLITICAL SUB25 DIVISIONS SUBJECT TO PRECLEARANCE.—Section 


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1 8(a)(2)(B) of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (52 U.S.C. 

2 10305(a)(2)(B)) is amended to read as follows: 

3 ‘‘(B) in the Attorney General’s judgment, 

4 the assignment of observers is otherwise necessary 

5 to enforce the guarantees of the 14th or 15th 

6 Amendment or any provision of this Act or any 

7 other Federal law protecting the right of citizens 

8 of the United States to vote; or’’. 

9 (b) ASSIGNMENT OF OBSERVERS TO ENFORCE BILIN10 GUAL ELECTION REQUIREMENTS.—Section 8(a) of such Act 

11 (52 U.S.C. 10305(a)) is amended— 

12 (1) by striking ‘‘or’’ at the end of paragraph (1); 

13 (2) by inserting after paragraph (2) the fol14 lowing: 

15 ‘‘(3) the Attorney General certifies with respect 

16 to a political subdivision that— 

17 ‘‘(A) the Attorney General has received 

18 written meritorious complaints from residents, 

19 elected officials, or civic participation organiza20 tions that efforts to violate section 203 are likely 

21 to occur; or 

22 ‘‘(B) in the Attorney General’s judgment, 

23 the assignment of observers is necessary to en24 force the guarantees of section 203;’’; and 


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1 (3) by moving the margin for the continuation 

2 text following paragraph (3), as added by paragraph 

3 (2) of this subsection, two ems to the left. 

4 SEC. 7. PRELIMINARY INJUNCTIVE RELIEF. 

5 (a) CLARIFICATION OF SCOPE AND PERSONS AUTHOR6 IZED TO SEEK RELIEF.—Section 12(d) of the Voting 

7 Rights Act of 1965 (52 U.S.C. 10308(d)) is amended— 

8 (1) by striking ‘‘section 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 10, 11, or 

9 subsection (b) of this section’’ and inserting ‘‘the 14th 

10 or 15th Amendment, this Act, or any Federal voting 

11 rights law that prohibits discrimination on the basis 

12 of race, color, or membership in a language minority 

13 group’’; and 

14 (2) by striking ‘‘the Attorney General may insti15 tute for the United States, or in the name of the 

16 United States,’’ and inserting ‘‘the aggrieved person 

17 or (in the name of the United States) the Attorney 

18 General may institute’’. 

19 (b) GROUNDS FOR GRANTING RELIEF.—Section 12(d) 

20 of such Act (52 U.S.C. 10308(d)) is amended— 

21 (1) by striking ‘‘(d) Whenever any person’’ and 

22 inserting ‘‘(d)(1) Whenever any person’’; 

23 (2) by striking ‘‘(1) to permit’’ and inserting 

24 ‘‘(A) to permit’’; 


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1 (3) by striking ‘‘(2) to count’’ and inserting ‘‘(B) 

2 to count’’; and 

3 (4) by adding at the end the following new para4 graph: 

5 ‘‘(2)(A) In any action for preliminary relief described 

6 in this subsection, the court shall grant the relief if the court 

7 determines that the complainant has raised a serious ques8 tion whether the challenged voting qualification or pre9 requisite to voting or standard, practice, or procedure vio10 lates this Act or the Constitution and, on balance, the hard11 ship imposed upon the defendant by the grant of the relief 

12 will be less than the hardship which would be imposed upon 

13 the plaintiff if the relief were not granted. In balancing the 

14 harms, the court shall give due weight to the fundamental 

15 right to cast an effective ballot. 

16 ‘‘(B) In making its determination under this para17 graph with respect to a change in any voting qualification, 

18 prerequisite to voting, or standard, practice, or procedure 

19 with respect to voting, the court shall consider all relevant 

20 factors and give due weight to the following factors, if they 

21 are present: 

22 ‘‘(i) Whether the qualification, prerequisite, 

23 standard, practice, or procedure in effect prior to the 

24 change was adopted as a remedy for a Federal court 

25 judgment, consent decree, or admission regarding— 


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1 ‘‘(I) discrimination on the basis of race or 

2 color in violation of the 14th or 15th Amend3 ment; 

4 ‘‘(II) a violation of this Act; or 

5 ‘‘(III) voting discrimination on the basis of 

6 race, color, or membership in a language minor7 ity group in violation of any other Federal or 

8 State law. 

9 ‘‘(ii) Whether the qualification, prerequisite, 

10 standard, practice, or procedure in effect prior to the 

11 change served as a ground for the dismissal or settle12 ment of a claim alleging— 

13 ‘‘(I) discrimination on the basis of race or 

14 color in violation of the 14th or 15th Amend15 ment; 

16 ‘‘(II) a violation of this Act; or 

17 ‘‘(III) voting discrimination on the basis of 

18 race, color, or membership in a language minor19 ity group in violation of any other Federal or 

20 State law. 

21 ‘‘(iii) Whether the change was adopted fewer 

22 than 180 days before the date of the election with re23 spect to which the change is to take effect. 

24 ‘‘(iv) Whether the defendant has failed to provide 

25 timely or complete notice of the adoption of the 


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1 change as required by applicable Federal or State 

2 law.’’. 

3 (c) GROUNDS FOR STAY OR INTERLOCUTORY AP4 PEAL.—Section 12(d) of such Act (52 U.S.C. 10308(d)) is 

5 further amended by adding at the end the following: 

6 ‘‘(3) A jurisdiction’s inability to enforce its voting or 

7 election laws, regulations, policies, or redistricting plans, 

8 standing alone, shall not be deemed to constitute irreparable 

9 harm to the public interest or to the interests of a defendant 

10 in an action arising under the U.S. Constitution or any 

11 Federal law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of 

12 race, color, or membership in a language minority group 

13 in the voting process, for the purposes of determining wheth14 er a stay of a court’s order or an interlocutory appeal under 

15 section 1253 of title 28, United States Code, is warranted.’’. 

16 SEC. 8. DEFINITIONS. 

17 Title I of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (52 U.S.C. 

18 10301) is amended by adding at the end the following: 

19 ‘‘SEC. 21. DEFINITIONS. 

20 ‘‘In this Act: 

21 ‘‘(1) INDIAN.—The term ‘Indian’ has the mean22 ing given the term in section 4 of the Indian Self-De23 termination and Education Assistance Act. 

24 ‘‘(2) INDIAN LANDS.—The term ‘Indian lands’ 

25 means— 


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1 ‘‘(A) any Indian country of an Indian 

2 tribe, as such term is defined in section 1151 of 

3 title 18, United States Code; 

4 ‘‘(B) any land in Alaska that is owned, 

5 pursuant to the Alaska Native Claims Settlement 

6 Act, by an Indian tribe that is a Native village 

7 (as such term is defined in section 3 of such 

8 Act), or by a Village Corporation that is associ9 ated with the Indian tribe (as such term is de10 fined in section 3 of such Act); 

11 ‘‘(C) any land on which the seat of govern12 ment of the Indian tribe is located; and 

13 ‘‘(D) any land that is part or all of a tribal 

14 designated statistical area associated with the 

15 Indian tribe, or is part or all of an Alaska Na16 tive village statistical area associated with the 

17 tribe, as defined by the Bureau of the Census for 

18 the purposes of the most recent decennial census. 

19 ‘‘(3) INDIAN TRIBE.—The term ‘Indian tribe’ or 

20 ‘tribe’ has the meaning given the term ‘Indian tribe’ 

21 in section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and 

22 Education Assistance Act. 

23 ‘‘(4) TRIBAL GOVERNMENT.—The term ‘Tribal 

24 Government’ means the recognized governing body of 

25 an Indian Tribe. 


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1 ‘‘(5) VOTING-AGE POPULATION.—The term ‘vot2 ing-age population’ means the numerical size of the 

3 population within a State, within a political subdivi4 sion, or within a political subdivision that contains 

5 Indian lands, as the case may be, that consists of per6 sons age 18 or older, as calculated by the Bureau of 

7 the Census under the most recent decennial census.’’. 

8 SEC. 9. ATTORNEYS’ FEES. 

9 Section 14(c) of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (52 

10 U.S.C. 10310(c)) is amended by adding at the end the fol11 lowing: 

12 ‘‘(4) The term ‘prevailing party’ means a party to an 

13 action that receives at least some of the benefit sought by 

14 such action, states a colorable claim, and can establish that 

15 the action was a significant cause of a change to the status 

16 quo.’’. 

17 SEC. 10. OTHER TECHNICAL AND CONFORMING AMEND18 MENTS. 

19 (a) ACTIONS COVERED UNDER SECTION 3.—Section 

20 3(c) of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (52 U.S.C. 10302(c)) 

21 is amended— 

22 (1) by striking ‘‘any proceeding instituted by the 

23 Attorney General or an aggrieved person under any 

24 statute to enforce’’ and inserting ‘‘any action under 


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1 any statute in which a party (including the Attorney 

2 General) seeks to enforce’’; and 

3 (2) by striking ‘‘at the time the proceeding was 

4 commenced’’ and inserting ‘‘at the time the action 

5 was commenced’’. 

6 (b) CLARIFICATION OF TREATMENT OF MEMBERS OF

7 LANGUAGE MINORITY GROUPS.—Section 4(f) of such Act 

8 (52 U.S.C. 10303(f)) is amended— 

9 (1) in paragraph (1), by striking the second sen10 tence; and 

11 (2) by striking paragraphs (3) and (4). 

12 (c) PERIOD DURING WHICH CHANGES IN VOTING

13 PRACTICES ARE SUBJECT TO PRECLEARANCE UNDER SEC14 TION 5.—Section 5 of such Act (52 U.S.C. 10304) is amend15 ed— 

16 (1) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘based upon 

17 determinations made under the first sentence of sec18 tion 4(b) are in effect’’ and inserting ‘‘are in effect 

19 during a calendar year’’; 

20 (2) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘November 1, 

21 1964’’ and all that follows through ‘‘November 1, 

22 1972’’ and inserting ‘‘the applicable date of coverage’’; 

23 and 

24 (3) by adding at the end the following new sub25 section: 


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1 ‘‘(e) The term ‘applicable date of coverage’ means, with 

2 respect to a State or political subdivision— 

3 ‘‘(1) June 25, 2013, if the most recent deter4 mination for such State or subdivision under section 

5 4(b) was made on or before December 31, 2019; or 

6 ‘‘(2) the date on which the most recent deter7 mination for such State or subdivision under section 

8 4(b) was made, if such determination was made after 

9 December 31, 2019.’’. 


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Union Calendar No. 258 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 4 

[Report No. 116–317] 

A BILL 

To amend the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to revise 

Act, and for other purposes. litical subdivisions are subject to section 4 of the the criteria for determining which States and poNOVEMBER 29, 2019 

Reported with an amendment, committed to the Comand ordered to be printed mittee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, 


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