be voluntary for a political subdivision of a State un-
less the subdivision is one of the following: 
‘‘(A) A county or parish. 
‘‘(B) A municipality with a population 
greater than 10,000, as determined under the 
most recent decennial census. 
‘‘(C) A school district with a population 
greater than 10,000, as determined under the 
most recent decennial census. For purposes of 
this paragraph, the term ‘school district’ means 
the geographic area under the jurisdiction of a 
local educational agency (as defined in section 
9101 of the Elementary and Secondary Edu-
cation Act of 1965). 
‘‘(d) RULES REGARDING FORMAT
OF INFORMA-
TION.—The Attorney General may issue rules specifying 
a reasonably convenient and accessible format that States 
and political subdivisions shall use to provide public notice 
of information 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 if the State or political sub-
division involved did not meet the applicable requirements 
of this section with respect to the change. 
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‘‘(f) DEFINITIONS.—In this section— 
‘‘(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); and 
‘‘(2) the term ‘election’ means, with respect to 
Federal office, any general, special, primary, or run-
off election held solely or in part for the purpose of 
electing any candidate for the office of President, 
Vice President, Presidential elector, Senator, Mem-
ber of the House of Representatives, or Delegate or 
Resident Commissioner to the Congress.’’. 
(2) CONFORMING
AMENDMENT.—Section 3(a) 
of such Act (42 U.S.C. 1973a(a)) is amended by 
striking ‘‘in accordance with section 6’’. 
(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment made by 
subsection (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. 5. AUTHORITY TO ASSIGN OBSERVERS. 
(a) CLARIFICATION OF AUTHORITY IN POLITICAL 
SUBDIVISIONS SUBJECT
TO PRECLEARANCE.—Section 
8(a)(2)(B) of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 
1973f(a)(2)(B)) is amended to read as follows: 
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‘‘(B) in the Attorney General’s judgment, 
the assignment of observers is otherwise nec-
essary to enforce the guarantees of the 14th or 
15th Amendment or any provision of this Act 
or any other law of the United States pro-
tecting the right of citizens of the United States 
to vote;’’. 
(b) ASSIGNMENT OF OBSERVERS TO ENFORCE BI-
LINGUAL ELECTION REQUIREMENTS.—Section 8(a) of 
such Act (42 U.S.C. 1973f(a)) is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘or’’ at the end of paragraph 
(1); 
(2) by adding ‘‘or’’ at the end of paragraph (2); 
and 
(3) by inserting after paragraph (2) the fol-
lowing new paragraph: 
‘‘(3) the Attorney General certifies with respect 
to a political subdivision that— 
‘‘(A) the Attorney General has received 
written meritorious complaints from residents, 
elected officials, or civic participation organiza-
tions that efforts to violate section 203 are like-
ly to occur, or 
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‘‘(B) in the Attorney General’s judgment, 
the assignment of observers is necessary to en-
force the guarantees of section 203;’’. 
SEC. 6. INJUNCTIVE RELIEF. 
(a) CLARIFICATION OF SCOPE AND PERSONS AU-
THORIZED TO SEEK RELIEF.—Section 12(d) of the Vot-
ing Rights Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 1973j(d)) is amend-
ed— 
(1) by striking ‘‘section 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 10, 11, 
or subsection (b) of this section’’ and inserting ‘‘the 
14th or 15th Amendment, this Act, or any Federal 
voting rights law that prohibits discrimination on 
the basis of race, color, or membership in a language 
minority group’’; and 
(2) by striking ‘‘the Attorney General may in-
stitute for the United States, or in the name of the 
United States,’’ and inserting ‘‘the aggrieved person 
or (in the name of the United States) the Attorney 
General may institute’’. 
(b) GROUNDS
FOR
GRANTING
RELIEF.—Section 
12(d) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 1973j(d)) is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘(d) Whenever any person’’ and 
inserting ‘‘(d)(1) Whenever any person’’; 
(2) by striking ‘‘(1) to permit’’ and inserting 
‘‘(A) to permit’’; 
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(3) by striking ‘‘(2) to count’’ and inserting 
‘‘(B) to count’’; and 
(4) by adding at the end the following new 
paragraph: 
‘‘(2)(A) In any action for relief described in this sub-
section, the court shall grant the relief if the court deter-
mines that, on balance, the hardship imposed upon the 
defendant by the issuance of the relief will be less than 
the hardship which would be imposed upon the plaintiff 
if the relief were not granted. 
‘‘(B) In making its determination under this para-
graph with respect to a change in any voting qualification, 
prerequisite to voting, or standard, practice, or procedure 
affecting voting, the court shall consider the following fac-
tors (to the extent applicable to the action): 
‘‘(i) Whether the qualification, prerequisite, 
standard, practice, or procedure in effect prior to the 
change was adopted as a remedy for a Federal court 
judgment, consent decree, or admission regarding— 
‘‘(I) discrimination on the basis of race or 
color in violation of the 14th or 15th Amend-
ment; 
‘‘(II) a violation of this Act; or 
‘‘(III) voting discrimination on the basis of 
race, color, or membership in a language minor-
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ity group in violation of any other Federal or 
State law. 
‘‘(ii) Whether the qualification, prerequisite, 
standard, practice, or procedure in effect prior to the 
change served as a ground for the dismissal or set-
tlement of a claim alleging— 
‘‘(I) discrimination on the basis of race or 
color in violation of the 14th or 15th Amend-
ment; 
‘‘(II) a violation of this Act; or 
‘‘(III) voting discrimination on the basis of 
race, color, or membership in a language minor-
ity group in violation of any other Federal or 
State law. 
‘‘(iii) Whether the change was adopted fewer 
than 180 days before the date of the election with 
respect to which it is to take effect. 
‘‘(iv) Whether the defendant has failed to pro-
vide timely or complete notice of the adoption of the 
change as required by applicable Federal or State 
law.’’. 
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SEC. 7. OTHER TECHNICAL AND CONFORMING AMEND-
MENTS. 
(a) ACTIONS COVERED UNDER SECTION 3.—Section 
3(c) of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 
1973a(c)) is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘any proceeding instituted by 
the Attorney General or an aggrieved person under 
any statute to enforce’’ and inserting ‘‘any action 
under any statute in which a party (including the 
Attorney General) seeks to enforce’’; and 
(2) by striking ‘‘at the time the proceeding was 
commenced’’ and inserting ‘‘at the time the action 
was commenced’’. 
(b) CLARIFICATION OF TREATMENT OF MEMBERS OF 
LANGUAGE MINORITY GROUPS.—Section 4(f) of such Act 
(42 U.S.C. 1973b(f)) is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (1), by striking the second 
sentence; and 
(2) by striking paragraphs (3) and (4). 
(c) PERIOD DURING WHICH CHANGES IN VOTING 
PRACTICES ARE SUBJECT
TO PRECLEARANCE UNDER 
SECTION 5.—Section 5 of such Act (42 U.S.C. 1973c) is 
amended— 
(1) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘based upon 
determinations made under the first sentence of sec-
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tion 4(b) are in effect’’ and inserting ‘‘are in effect 
during a calendar year’’; 
(2) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘November 1, 
1964’’ and all that follows through ‘‘November 1, 
1972’’ and inserting ‘‘the applicable date of cov-
erage’’; and 
(3) by adding at the end the following new sub-
section: 
‘‘(e) The term ‘applicable date of coverage’ means, 
with respect to a State or political subdivision— 
‘‘(1) June 25, 2013, if the most recent deter-
mination for such State or subdivision under section 
4(b) was made on or before December 31, 2015; or 
‘‘(2) the date on which the most recent deter-
mination for such State or subdivision under section 
4(b) was made, if such determination was made 
after December 31, 2015.’’. 
Æ 
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