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. CAR-
SON 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 Cali-
fornia, 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. KIRK-
PATRICK, 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. MCNER-
NEY, 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. GON-
ZALEZ 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. GAR-
CIA 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. VIS-
CLOSKY, Mr. CORREA, Mr. SCHRADER, Ms. TORRES SMALL of New Mex-
ico, 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 sub-
divisions are subject to section 4 of the Act, and for 
other purposes. 
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Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Voting Rights Advance-
ment Act of 2019’’. 
SEC. 2. VIOLATIONS TRIGGERING AUTHORITY OF COURT TO 
RETAIN JURISDICTION. 
(a) TYPES OF VIOLATIONS.—Section 3(c) of the Voting 
Rights Act of 1965 (52 U.S.C. 10302(c)) is amended by 
striking ‘‘violations of the fourteenth or fifteenth amend-
ment’’ and inserting ‘‘violations of the 14th or 15th Amend-
ment, violations of this Act, or violations of any Federal 
law that prohibits discrimination in voting on the basis 
of race, color, or membership in a language minority 
group,’’. 
(b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 3(a) of such 
Act (52 U.S.C. 10302(a)) is amended by striking ‘‘viola-
tions of the fourteenth or fifteenth amendment’’ and insert-
ing ‘‘violations of the 14th or 15th Amendment, violations 
of this Act, or violations of any Federal law that prohibits 
discrimination in voting on the basis of race, color, or mem-
bership in a language minority group,’’. 
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spect to a political subdivision as a separate 
unit during a calendar year if 3 or more voting 
rights violations occurred in the subdivision dur-
ing the previous 25 calendar years. 
‘‘(2) PERIOD OF APPLICATION.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in 
subparagraph (B), if, pursuant to paragraph 
(1), subsection (a) applies with respect to a State 
or political subdivision during a calendar year, 
subsection (a) shall apply with respect to such 
State or political subdivision for the period— 
‘‘(i) that begins on January 1 of the 
year in which subsection (a) applies; and 
‘‘(ii) that ends on the date which is 10 
years after the date described in clause (i). 
‘‘(B) NO FURTHER APPLICATION AFTER DE-
CLARATORY JUDGMENT.— 
‘‘(i) STATES.—If a State obtains a de-
claratory judgment under subsection (a), 
and the judgment remains in effect, sub-
section (a) shall no longer apply to such 
State pursuant to paragraph (1)(A) unless, 
after the issuance of the declaratory judg-
ment, paragraph (1)(A) applies to the State 
solely on the basis of voting rights violations 
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occurring after the issuance of the declara-
tory judgment. 
‘‘(ii) POLITICAL
SUBDIVISIONS.—If a 
political subdivision obtains a declaratory 
judgment under subsection (a), and the 
judgment remains in effect, subsection (a) 
shall no longer apply to such political sub-
division pursuant to paragraph (1), includ-
ing pursuant to paragraph (1)(A) (relating 
to the statewide application of subsection 
(a)), unless, after the issuance of the declar-
atory judgment, paragraph (1)(B) applies 
to the political subdivision solely on the 
basis of voting rights violations occurring 
after the issuance of the declaratory judg-
ment. 
‘‘(3) DETERMINATION OF VOTING RIGHTS VIOLA-
TION.—For purposes of paragraph (1), a voting rights 
violation occurred in a State or political subdivision 
if any of the following applies: 
‘‘(A) FINAL JUDGMENT; VIOLATION OF THE 
14TH OR 15TH AMENDMENT.—In a final judg-
ment (which has not been reversed on appeal), 
any court of the United States has determined 
that a denial or abridgement of the right of any 
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citizen of the United States to vote on account of 
race, color, or membership in a language minor-
ity group, in violation of the 14th or 15th 
Amendment, occurred anywhere within the State 
or subdivision. 
‘‘(B) FINAL
JUDGMENT; VIOLATIONS
OF 
THIS ACT.—In a final judgment (which has not 
been reversed on appeal), any court of the United 
States has determined that a voting qualification 
or prerequisite to voting or standard, practice, or 
procedure with respect to voting was imposed or 
applied or would have been imposed or applied 
anywhere within the State or subdivision in a 
manner that resulted or would have resulted in 
a denial or abridgement of the right of any cit-
izen of the United States to vote on account of 
race, color, or membership in a language minor-
ity group, in violation of subsection (e) or (f), or 
section 2 or 203 of this Act. 
‘‘(C) FINAL JUDGMENT; DENIAL OF DECLAR-
ATORY JUDGMENT.—In a final judgment (which 
has not been reversed on appeal), any court of 
the United States has denied the request of the 
State or subdivision for a declaratory judgment 
under section 3(c) or section 5, and thereby pre-
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vented a voting qualification or prerequisite to 
voting or standard, practice, or procedure with 
respect to voting from being enforced anywhere 
within the State or subdivision. 
‘‘(D) OBJECTION BY THE ATTORNEY GEN-
ERAL.—The Attorney General has interposed an 
objection under section 3(c) or section 5 (and the 
objection has not been overturned by a final 
judgment of a court or withdrawn by the Attor-
ney General), and thereby prevented a voting 
qualification or prerequisite to voting or stand-
ard, practice, or procedure with respect to voting 
from being enforced anywhere within the State 
or subdivision. 
‘‘(E) CONSENT DECREE, SETTLEMENT, OR 
OTHER
AGREEMENT.—A consent decree, settle-
ment, or other agreement was entered into, which 
resulted in the alteration or abandonment of a 
voting practice anywhere in the territory of such 
State that was challenged on the ground that the 
practice denied or abridged the right of any cit-
izen of the United States to vote on account of 
race, color, or membership in a language minor-
ity group in violation of subsection (e) or (f), or 
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section 2 or 203 of this Act, or the 14th or 15th 
Amendment. 
‘‘(4) TIMING OF DETERMINATIONS.— 
‘‘(A) DETERMINATIONS OF VOTING RIGHTS 
VIOLATIONS.—As early as practicable during 
each calendar year, the Attorney General shall 
make the determinations required by this sub-
section, including updating the list of voting 
rights violations occurring in each State and po-
litical subdivision for the previous calendar year. 
‘‘(B) EFFECTIVE
UPON
PUBLICATION
IN 
FEDERAL REGISTER.—A determination or cer-
tification of the Attorney General under this sec-
tion or under section 8 or 13 shall be effective 
upon publication in the Federal Register.’’. 
(2) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—Section 4(a) of 
such Act (52 U.S.C. 10303(a)) is amended— 
(A) in paragraph (1), in the first sentence 
of the matter preceding subparagraph (A), by 
striking ‘‘any State with respect to which’’ and 
all that follows through ‘‘unless’’ and inserting 
‘‘any State to which this subsection applies dur-
ing a calendar year pursuant to determinations 
made under subsection (b), or in any political 
subdivision of such State (as such subdivision ex-
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isted on the date such determinations were made 
with respect to such State), though such deter-
minations were not made with respect to such 
subdivision as a separate unit, or in any polit-
ical subdivision with respect to which this sub-
section applies during a calendar year pursuant 
to determinations made with respect to such sub-
division as a separate unit under subsection (b), 
unless’’; 
(B) in paragraph (1) in the matter pre-
ceding subparagraph (A), by striking the second 
sentence; 
(C) in paragraph (1)(A), by striking ‘‘(in 
the case of a State or subdivision seeking a de-
claratory judgment under the second sentence of 
this subsection)’’; 
(D) in paragraph (1)(B), by striking ‘‘(in 
the case of a State or subdivision seeking a de-
claratory judgment under the second sentence of 
this subsection)’’; 
(E) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘(in the 
case of a State or subdivision seeking a declara-
tory judgment under the second sentence of this 
subsection)’’; 
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(F) in paragraph (5), by striking ‘‘(in the 
case of a State or subdivision which sought a de-
claratory judgment under the second sentence of 
this subsection)’’; 
(G) by striking paragraphs (7) and (8); and 
(H) by redesignating paragraph (9) as 
paragraph (7). 
(b) CLARIFICATION OF TREATMENT OF MEMBERS OF 
LANGUAGE MINORITY GROUPS.—Section 4(a)(1) of such 
Act (52 U.S.C. 10303(a)(1)) is amended by striking ‘‘race 
or color,’’ and inserting ‘‘race, color, or in contravention 
of the guarantees of subsection (f)(2),’’. 
SEC. 4. DETERMINATION OF STATES AND POLITICAL SUB-
DIVISIONS SUBJECT TO PRECLEARANCE FOR 
COVERED PRACTICES. 
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 (52 U.S.C. 10301 et 
seq.) is further amended by inserting after section 4 the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘SEC. 4A. DETERMINATION OF STATES AND POLITICAL SUB-
DIVISIONS SUBJECT TO PRECLEARANCE FOR 
COVERED PRACTICES. 
‘‘(a) PRACTICE-BASED PRECLEARANCE.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Each State and each polit-
ical subdivision shall— 
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‘‘(A) identify any newly enacted or adopted 
law, regulation, or policy that includes a voting 
qualification or prerequisite to voting, or a 
standard, practice, or procedure with respect to 
voting, that is a covered practice described in 
subsection (b); and 
‘‘(B) ensure that no such covered practice is 
implemented unless or until the State or polit-
ical subdivision, as the case may be, complies 
with subsection (c). 
‘‘(2) DETERMINATIONS OF CHARACTERISTICS OF 
VOTING-AGE POPULATION.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—As early as practicable 
during each calendar year, the Attorney General, 
in consultation with the Director of the Bureau 
of the Census and the heads of other relevant of-
fices of the government, shall make the deter-
minations required by this section regarding vot-
ing-age populations and the characteristics of 
such populations, and shall publish a list of the 
States and political subdivisions to which a vot-
ing-age population characteristic described in 
subsection (b) applies. 
‘‘(B) PUBLICATION IN THE FEDERAL REG-
ISTER.—A determination or certification of the 
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Attorney General under this paragraph shall be 
effective upon publication in the Federal Reg-
ister. 
‘‘(b) COVERED PRACTICES.—To assure that the right 
of citizens of the United States to vote is not denied or 
abridged on account of race, color, or membership in a lan-
guage minority group as a result of the implementation of 
certain qualifications or prerequisites to voting, or stand-
ards, practices, or procedures with respect to voting newly 
adopted in a State or political subdivision, the following 
shall be covered practices subject to the requirements de-
scribed in subsection (a): 
‘‘(1) CHANGES TO METHOD OF ELECTION.—Any 
change to the method of election— 
‘‘(A) to add seats elected at-large in a State 
or political subdivision where— 
‘‘(i) 2 or more racial groups or lan-
guage minority groups each represent 20 
percent or more of the political subdivision’s 
voting-age population; or 
‘‘(ii) a single language minority group 
represents 20 percent or more of the voting- 
age population on Indian lands located in 
whole or in part in the political subdivi-
sion; or 
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‘‘(B) to convert one or more seats elected 
from a single-member district to one or more at- 
large seats or seats from a multi-member district 
in a State or political subdivision where— 
‘‘(i) 2 or more racial groups or lan-
guage minority groups each represent 20 
percent or more of the political subdivision’s 
voting-age population; or 
‘‘(ii) a single language minority group 
represents 20 percent or more of the voting- 
age population on Indian lands located in 
whole or in part in the political subdivi-
sion. 
‘‘(2) CHANGES TO JURISDICTION BOUNDARIES.— 
Any change or series of changes within a year to the 
boundaries of a jurisdiction that reduces by 3 or more 
percentage points the proportion of the jurisdiction’s 
voting-age population that is comprised of members of 
a single racial group or language minority group in 
a State or political subdivision where— 
‘‘(A) 2 or more racial groups or language 
minority groups each represent 20 percent or 
more of the political subdivision’s voting-age 
population; or 
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‘‘(B) a single language minority group rep-
resents 20 percent or more of the voting-age pop-
ulation on Indian lands located in whole or in 
part in the political subdivision. 
‘‘(3) CHANGES THROUGH REDISTRICTING.—Any 
change to the boundaries of election districts in a 
State or political subdivision where any racial group 
or language minority group experiences a population 
increase, over the preceding decade (as calculated by 
the Bureau of the Census under the most recent decen-
nial census), of at least— 
‘‘(A) 10,000; or 
‘‘(B) 20 percent of voting-age population of 
the State or political subdivision, as the case 
may be. 
‘‘(4) CHANGES IN DOCUMENTATION OR QUALI-
FICATIONS TO VOTE.—Any change to requirements for 
documentation or proof of identity to vote such that 
the requirements will exceed or be more stringent than 
the requirements for voting that are described in sec-
tion 303(b) of the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (52 
U.S.C. 21083(b)) or any change to the requirements 
for documentation or proof of identity to register to 
vote that will exceed or be more stringent than such 
requirements under State law on the day before the 
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date of enactment of the Voting Rights Advancement 
Act of 2019. 
‘‘(5) CHANGES TO MULTILINGUAL VOTING MATE-
RIALS.—Any change that reduces multilingual voting 
materials or alters the manner in which such mate-
rials are provided or distributed, where no similar re-
duction or alteration occurs in materials provided in 
English for such election. 
‘‘(6) CHANGES THAT REDUCE, CONSOLIDATE, OR 
RELOCATE VOTING LOCATIONS.—Any change that re-
duces, consolidates, or relocates voting locations, in-
cluding early, absentee, and election-day voting loca-
tions— 
‘‘(A) in 1 or more census tracts wherein 2 
or more language minority groups or racial 
groups each represent 20 percent or more of the 
voting-age population of the political subdivi-
sion; or 
‘‘(B) on Indian lands wherein at least 20 
percent of the voting-age population belongs to a 
single language minority group. 
‘‘(c) PRECLEARANCE.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Whenever a State or polit-
ical subdivision with respect to which the require-
ments set forth in subsection (a) are in effect shall 
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enact, adopt, or seek to implement any covered prac-
tice described under subsection (b), such State or sub-
division may institute an action in the United States 
District Court for the District of Columbia for a de-
claratory judgment that such covered practice neither 
has the purpose nor will have the effect of denying or 
abridging the right to vote on account of race, color, 
or membership in a language minority group, and 
unless and until the court enters such judgment such 
covered practice shall not be implemented. Notwith-
standing the previous sentence, such covered practice 
may be implemented without such proceeding if the 
covered practice has been submitted by the chief legal 
officer or other appropriate official of such State or 
subdivision to the Attorney General and the Attorney 
General has not interposed an objection within 60 
days after such submission, or upon good cause 
shown, to facilitate an expedited approval within 60 
days after such submission, the Attorney General has 
affirmatively indicated that such objection will not be 
made. Neither an affirmative indication by the Attor-
ney General that no objection will be made, nor the 
Attorney General’s failure to object, nor a declaratory 
judgment entered under this section shall bar a subse-
quent action to enjoin implementation of such covered 
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practice. In the event the Attorney General affirma-
tively indicates that no objection will be made within 
the 60-day period following receipt of a submission, 
the Attorney General may reserve the right to reexam-
ine the submission if additional information comes to 
the Attorney General’s attention during the remain-
der of the 60-day period which would otherwise re-
quire objection in accordance with this section. Any 
action under this section shall be heard and deter-
mined by a court of three judges in accordance with 
the provisions of section 2284 of title 28, United 
States Code, and any appeal shall lie to the Supreme 
Court. 
‘‘(2) DENYING
OR
ABRIDGING
THE
RIGHT
TO 
VOTE.—Any covered practice described in subsection 
(b) that has the purpose of or will have the effect of 
diminishing the ability of any citizens of the United 
States on account of race, color, or membership in a 
language minority group, to elect their preferred can-
didates of choice denies or abridges the right to vote 
within the meaning of paragraph (1) of this sub-
section. 
‘‘(3) PURPOSE DEFINED.—The term ‘purpose’ in 
paragraphs (1) and (2) of this subsection shall in-
clude any discriminatory purpose. 
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‘‘(4) PURPOSE OF PARAGRAPH (2).—The purpose 
of paragraph (2) of this subsection is to protect the 
ability of such citizens to elect their preferred can-
didates of choice. 
‘‘(d) ENFORCEMENT.—The Attorney General or any 
aggrieved citizen may file an action in a Federal district 
court to compel any State or political subdivision to satisfy 
the obligations set forth in this section. Such actions shall 
be heard and determined by a court of 3 judges under sec-
tion 2284 of title 28, United States Code. In any such ac-
tion, the court shall provide as a remedy that any voting 
qualification or prerequisite to voting, or standard, prac-
tice, or procedure with respect to voting, that is the subject 
of the action under this subsection be enjoined unless the 
court determines that— 
‘‘(1) the voting qualification or prerequisite to 
voting, or standard, practice, or procedure with re-
spect to voting, is not a covered practice described in 
subsection (b); or 
‘‘(2) the State or political subdivision has com-
plied with subsection (c) with respect to the covered 
practice at issue. 
‘‘(e) COUNTING OF RACIAL GROUPS AND LANGUAGE 
MINORITY GROUPS.—For purposes of this section, the cal-
culation of the population of a racial group or a language 
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minority group shall be carried out using the methodology 
in the guidance promulgated in the Federal Register on 
February 9, 2011 (76 Fed. Reg. 7470). 
‘‘(f) SPECIAL RULE.—For purposes of determinations 
under this section, any data provided by the Bureau of the 
Census, whether based on estimation from sample or actual 
enumeration, shall not be subject to challenge or review in 
any court. 
‘‘(g) MULTILINGUAL VOTING MATERIALS.—In this sec-
tion, the term ‘multilingual voting materials’ means reg-
istration or voting notices, forms, instructions, assistance, 
or other materials or information relating to the electoral 
process, including ballots, provided in the language or lan-
guages of one or more language minority groups.’’. 
SEC. 5. PROMOTING TRANSPARENCY TO ENFORCE THE 
VOTING RIGHTS ACT. 
(a) TRANSPARENCY.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Voting Rights Act of 1965 
(52 U.S.C. 10301 et seq.) is amended by inserting 
after section 5 the following new section: 
‘‘SEC. 6. TRANSPARENCY REGARDING CHANGES TO PRO-
TECT VOTING RIGHTS. 
‘‘(a) NOTICE OF ENACTED CHANGES.— 
‘‘(1) NOTICE OF CHANGES.—If a State or polit-
ical subdivision makes any change in any pre-
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requisite to voting or standard, practice, or procedure 
with respect to voting in any election for Federal of-
fice that will result in the prerequisite, standard, 
practice, or procedure being different from that which 
was in effect as of 180 days before the date of the elec-
tion for Federal office, the State or political subdivi-
sion shall provide reasonable public notice in such 
State or political subdivision and on the Internet, of 
a concise description of the change, including the dif-
ference between the changed prerequisite, standard, 
practice, or procedure and the prerequisite, standard, 
practice, or procedure which was previously in effect. 
The public notice described in this paragraph, in such 
State or political subdivision and on the Internet, 
shall be in a format that is reasonably convenient 
and accessible to voters with disabilities, including 
voters who have low vision or are blind. 
‘‘(2) DEADLINE FOR NOTICE.—A State or polit-
ical subdivision shall provide the public notice re-
quired under paragraph (1) not later than 48 hours 
after making the change involved. 
‘‘(b) TRANSPARENCY REGARDING POLLING PLACE RE-
SOURCES.— 
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—In order to identify any 
changes that may impact the right to vote of any per-
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son, prior to the 30th day before the date of an elec-
tion for Federal office, each State or political subdivi-
sion with responsibility for allocating registered vot-
ers, voting machines, and official poll workers to par-
ticular precincts and polling places shall provide rea-
sonable public notice in such State or political sub-
division and on the Internet, of the information de-
scribed in paragraph (2) for precincts and polling 
places within such State or political subdivision. The 
public notice described in this paragraph, in such 
State or political subdivision and on the Internet, 
shall be in a format that is reasonably convenient 
and accessible to voters with disabilities including 
voters who have low vision or are blind. 
‘‘(2) INFORMATION
DESCRIBED.—The informa-
tion described in this paragraph with respect to a 
precinct or polling place is each of the following: 
‘‘(A) The name or number. 
‘‘(B) In the case of a polling place, the loca-
tion, including the street address, and whether 
such polling place is accessible to persons with 
disabilities. 
‘‘(C) The voting-age population of the area 
served by the precinct or polling place, broken 
down by demographic group if such breakdown 
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is reasonably available to such State or political 
subdivision. 
‘‘(D) The number of registered voters as-
signed to the precinct or polling place, broken 
down by demographic group if such breakdown 
is reasonably available to such State or political 
subdivision. 
‘‘(E) The number of voting machines as-
signed, including the number of voting machines 
accessible to voters with disabilities, including 
voters who have low vision or are blind. 
‘‘(F) The number of official paid poll work-
ers assigned. 
‘‘(G) The number of official volunteer poll 
workers assigned. 
‘‘(H) In the case of a polling place, the 
dates and hours of operation. 
‘‘(3) UPDATES IN INFORMATION REPORTED.—If 
a State or political subdivision makes any change in 
any of the information described in paragraph (2), 
the State or political subdivision shall provide reason-
able public notice in such State or political subdivi-
sion and on the Internet, of the change in the infor-
mation not later than 48 hours after the change oc-
curs or, if the change occurs fewer than 48 hours be-
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fore the date of the election for Federal office, as soon 
as practicable after the change occurs. The public no-
tice described in this paragraph in such State or po-
litical subdivision and on the Internet shall be in a 
format that is reasonably convenient and accessible to 
voters with disabilities including voters who have low 
vision or are blind. 
‘‘(c) TRANSPARENCY OF CHANGES RELATING TO DE-
MOGRAPHICS AND ELECTORAL DISTRICTS.— 
‘‘(1) REQUIRING PUBLIC NOTICE OF CHANGES.— 
Not later than 10 days after making any change in 
the constituency that will participate in an election 
for Federal, State, or local office or the boundaries of 
a voting unit or electoral district in an election for 
Federal, State, or local office (including through re-
districting, reapportionment, changing from at-large 
elections to district-based elections, or changing from 
district-based elections to at-large elections), a State 
or political subdivision shall provide reasonable pub-
lic notice in such State or political subdivision and 
on the Internet, of the demographic and electoral data 
described in paragraph (3) for each of the geographic 
areas described in paragraph (2). 
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‘‘(2) GEOGRAPHIC AREAS DESCRIBED.—The geo-
graphic areas described in this paragraph are as fol-
lows: 
‘‘(A) The State as a whole, if the change ap-
plies statewide, or the political subdivision as a 
whole, if the change applies across the entire po-
litical subdivision. 
‘‘(B) If the change includes a plan to re-
place or eliminate voting units or electoral dis-
tricts, each voting unit or electoral district that 
will be replaced or eliminated. 
‘‘(C) If the change includes a plan to estab-
lish new voting units or electoral districts, each 
such new voting unit or electoral district. 
‘‘(3) DEMOGRAPHIC AND ELECTORAL DATA.—The 
demographic and electoral data described in this 
paragraph with respect to a geographic area described 
in paragraph (2) are each of the following: 
‘‘(A) The voting-age population, broken 
down by demographic group. 
‘‘(B) If it is reasonably available to the 
State or political subdivision involved, an esti-
mate of the population of the area which consists 
of citizens of the United States who are 18 years 
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of age or older, broken down by demographic 
group. 
‘‘(C) The number of registered voters, broken 
down by demographic group if such breakdown 
is reasonably available to the State or political 
subdivision involved. 
‘‘(D)(i) If the change applies to a State, the 
actual number of votes, or (if it is not reasonably 
practicable for the State to ascertain the actual 
number of votes) the estimated number of votes 
received by each candidate in each statewide 
election held during the 5-year period which ends 
on the date the change involved is made; and 
‘‘(ii) if the change applies to only one polit-
ical subdivision, the actual number of votes, or 
(if it is not reasonably practicable for the polit-
ical subdivision to ascertain the actual number 
of votes) in each subdivision-wide election held 
during the 5-year period which ends on the date 
the change involved is made. 
‘‘(4) VOLUNTARY COMPLIANCE BY SMALLER JU-
RISDICTIONS.—Compliance with this subsection shall 
be voluntary for a political subdivision of a State un-
less the subdivision is one of the following: 
‘‘(A) A county or parish. 
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‘‘(B) A municipality with a population 
greater than 10,000, as determined by the Bu-
reau of the Census under the most recent decen-
nial census. 
‘‘(C) A school district with a population 
greater than 10,000, as determined by the Bu-
reau of the Census under the most recent decen-
nial census. For purposes of this subparagraph, 
the term ‘school district’ means the geographic 
area under the jurisdiction of a local educational 
agency (as defined in section 9101 of the Ele-
mentary and Secondary Education Act of 1965). 
‘‘(d) RULES REGARDING FORMAT OF INFORMATION.— 
The Attorney General may issue rules specifying a reason-
ably convenient and accessible format that States and polit-
ical subdivisions shall use to provide public notice of infor-
mation under this section. 
‘‘(e) NO DENIAL OF RIGHT TO VOTE.—The right to 
vote of any person shall not be denied or abridged because 
the person failed to comply with any change made by a 
State or political subdivision to a voting qualification, 
standard, practice, or procedure if the State or political 
subdivision involved did not meet the applicable require-
ments of this section with respect to the change. 
‘‘(f) DEFINITIONS.—In this section— 
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‘‘(1) the term ‘demographic group’ means each 
group which section 2 protects from the denial or 
abridgement of the right to vote on account of race or 
color, or in contravention of the guarantees set forth 
in section 4(f)(2); 
‘‘(2) the term ‘election for Federal office’ means 
any general, special, primary, or runoff election held 
solely or in part for the purpose of electing any can-
didate for the office of President, Vice President, Pres-
idential elector, Senator, Member of the House of Rep-
resentatives, or Delegate or Resident Commissioner to 
the Congress; and 
‘‘(3) the term ‘persons with disabilities’, means 
individuals with a disability, as defined in section 3 
of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.’’. 
(2) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 3(a) of 
such Act (52 U.S.C. 10302(a)) is amended by striking 
‘‘in accordance with section 6’’. 
(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment made by sub-
section (a)(1) shall apply with respect to changes which are 
made on or after the expiration of the 60-day period which 
begins on the date of the enactment of this Act. 
SEC. 6. AUTHORITY TO ASSIGN OBSERVERS. 
(a) CLARIFICATION OF AUTHORITY IN POLITICAL SUB-
DIVISIONS
SUBJECT
TO
PRECLEARANCE.—Section 
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