Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 prohibits practices---such as poll taxes and literacy tests---that interfere with a person's ability to vote. Section Five applies to jurisdictions that show evidence of ongoing violations or have a history of such practices.
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Section 5
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Section Five of the Voting Rights Act prohibits certain jurisdictions from making any changes in the voting process without approval by the U.S. Attorney General or the U.S. District Court. Any change to voting or registration procedure that is not approved cannot be enforced. Section Four specifies the criteria that determine "covered jurisdictions" under Section Five.
Covered Jurisdictions
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Section Five was originally applied to any jurisdiction that maintained a restrictive "test or device" for registering or voting as of Nov. 1, 1964. If less than half of the people of voting age in any district were registered as of that date---or if less than half of them voted in the 1964 election---it would be considered a "covered jurisdiction." From that point throughout the 2010 election cycle, the entire states of Alaska, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina and Virginia have been covered by Section Five. Since then, Arizona and Texas have become covered jurisdictions.
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Temporary Extensions
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Section Five was enacted as a temporary measure, set to expire five years after passage. It was renewed with a very similar "covered jurisdictions" formula in 1970. In 1975 the provision was again renewed, but the formula was expanded to prohibit "language minority" barriers to registration and voting. Congress extended Section Five for another 25 years in 1982 and then again in 2006.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit register to vote image by Christopher Martin from Fotolia.com
