Voting Rights Act of 1965
(outline of Title 42) TITLE 42 - THE PUBLIC HEALTH AND WELFARE CHAPTER 20 - ELECTIVE FRANCHISE SUBCHAPTER I - GENERALLY Sec. 1971. Voting rights.(a) Race, color, or previous condition not to affect right to vote; uniform standards for voting qualifications; errors or omissions from papers; literacy tests; agreements between Attorney General and State or local authorities; definitions.
(b) Intimidation, threats, or coercion.
(c) Preventive relief; injunction; rebuttable literacy presumption; liability of United States for costs; State as party defendant.
(d) Jurisdiction; exhaustion of other remedies.
(e) Order qualifying person to vote; application; hearing; voting referees; transmittal of report and order; certificate of qualification; definitions.
(f) Contempt; assignment of counsel; witnesses.
(g) Three-judge district court: hearing, determination, expedition of action, review by Supreme Court; single judge district court: hearing, determination, expedition of action. 1972. Interference with freedom of elections.
SUBCHAPTER I-A - ENFORCEMENT OF VOTING RIGHTS 1973. Denial or abridgement of right to vote on account of race or color through voting qualifications or prerequisites; establishment of violation. 1973a. Proceeding to enforce the right to vote.
(a) Authorization by court for appointment of Federal examiners.
(b) Suspension of use of tests and devices which deny or abridge the right to vote.
(c) Retention of jurisdiction to prevent commencement of new devices to deny or abridge the right to vote. 1973b.
Suspension of the use of tests or devices in determining eligibility to vote.
(a) Action by State or political subdivision for declaratory judgment of no denial or abridgement; three-judge district court; appeal to Supreme Court; retention of jurisdiction by three-judge court.
(b) Required factual determinations necessary to allow suspension of compliance with tests and devices; publication in Federal Register.
(c) ''Test or device'' defined. (d) Required frequency, continuation and probable recurrence of incidents of denial or abridgement to constitute forbidden use of tests or devices.
(e) Completion of requisite grade level of education in American-flag schools in which the predominant classroom language was other than English.
(f) Congressional findings of voting discrimination against language minorities; prohibition of English-only elections; other remedial measures. 1973c. Alteration of voting qualifications and procedures; action by State or political subdivision for declaratory judgment of no denial or abridgement of voting rights; three-judge district court; appeal to Supreme Court. 1973d. Federal voting examiners; appointment. 1973e. Examination of applicants for registration.
(a) Form of application; requisite allegation of non-registration.
(b) Placement of eligible voters on official lists; transmittal of lists.
(c) Certificate of eligibility.
(d) Removal of names from list by examiners. 1973f.
Observers at elections; assignment; duties; reports. 1973g. Challenges to eligibility listings. (
a) Filing of challenge; supplementary affidavits; service upon person challenged; hearing; review.
(b) Rules and regulations by Director of the Office of Personnel Management.
(c) Subpoena power of Director of the Office of Personnel Management; contempt. 1973h. Poll taxes.
(a) Congressional finding and declaration of policy against enforced payment of poll taxes as a device to impair voting rights.
(b) Authority of Attorney General to institute actions for relief against enforcement of poll tax requirement.
(c) Jurisdiction of three-judge district courts; appeal to Supreme Court. 1973.
Prohibited acts.
(a) Failure or refusal to permit casting or tabulation of vote.
(b) Intimidation, threats, or coercion.
(c) False information in registering or voting; penalties.
(d) Falsification or concealment of material facts or giving of false statements in matters within jurisdiction of examiners or hearing officers; penalties. (e) Voting more than once. 1973.
Civil and criminal sanctions.
(a) Depriving or attempting to deprive persons of secured rights.
(b) Destroying, defacing, mutilating, or altering ballots or official voting records.
(c) Conspiring to violate or interfere with secured rights.
(d) Civil action by Attorney General for preventive relief; injunctive and other relief.
(e) Proceeding by Attorney General to enforce the counting of ballots of registered and eligible persons who are prevented from voting.
(f) Jurisdiction of district courts; exhaustion of administrative or other remedies unnecessary. 1973k.
Overseas voter.
(e) Use of approved State absentee ballot in place of Federal write-in absentee ballot.
(f) Certain States exempted. 1973ff-3. Recommendations to States to maximize access to polls by absent uniformed services voters and overseas voters. 1973ff-4. Enforcement. 1973ff-5. Effect on certain other laws.
