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.
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
IntroducedMr. Durbin (for himself, Mr. Warnock, Mr. Booker, Mr. Blumenthal, …
Summary
What This Bill Does
The John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2024 restores and strengthens the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which was weakened by the Supreme Court's 2013 Shelby County decision that struck down the original preclearance formula. The bill creates a new system requiring states and local governments with recent histories of voting rights violations to get federal approval before changing their voting rules. It also makes it easier to challenge discriminatory voting practices in court and protects election workers from intimidation.
Who Benefits and How
Racial and language minority voters benefit most directly, as states with histories of voting discrimination must now seek federal approval before implementing changes to voting rules that could harm these communities. Civil rights organizations and voting rights attorneys gain expanded ability to challenge discriminatory practices in court and can now more easily recover attorneys fees when they prevail. Native American voters receive explicit protections through new definitions and preclearance requirements for changes affecting tribal lands. Election workers, poll watchers, and election officials receive new federal protections against intimidation and violence.
Who Bears the Burden and How
State and local governments, particularly those with histories of voting rights violations, face significant new compliance requirements. States with 15 or more violations in 25 years (or 10 with at least one by the state itself) must submit all voting changes for federal preclearance. All jurisdictions must provide 180-day advance notice of voting changes and maintain transparency databases. Election officials face new federal criminal liability if they refuse to certify election results. Small jurisdictions may receive federal grants to help offset compliance costs.
Key Provisions
- Creates a new coverage formula based on recent voting rights violations: states with 15+ violations (or 10+ with at least one state-level violation) over 25 years require federal preclearance for all voting changes
- Establishes "practice-based preclearance" requiring all jurisdictions to get federal approval before implementing specific changes like voter ID requirements, polling place closures, or redistricting in areas with language minorities or Native Americans
- Expands private right of action allowing individual citizens (not just the Attorney General) to sue to enforce voting rights
- Lowers the legal standard for preliminary injunctions in voting rights cases, making it easier to block potentially discriminatory laws before elections
- Extends bilingual election requirements through 2037
- Prohibits election officials from refusing to certify election results
- Creates federal criminal penalties for intimidating voters, election workers, or damaging election infrastructure
Evidence Chain:
This summary is derived from the structured analysis below. See "Detailed Analysis" for per-title beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
Primary Purpose
To amend and strengthen the Voting Rights Act of 1965 by establishing new coverage formulas for federal preclearance of voting changes, expanding protections against vote dilution and denial, enhancing enforcement mechanisms, and protecting election workers and polling places.
Policy Domains
Legislative Strategy
"Restore and expand Voting Rights Act protections invalidated by Shelby County v. Holder (2013) by creating a new preclearance coverage formula based on recent voting rights violations, while also strengthening Section 2 enforcement and protecting election infrastructure"
Likely Beneficiaries
- Racial and language minority voters in states/subdivisions with histories of voting rights violations
- Voting rights advocacy organizations and civil rights groups
- Department of Justice Civil Rights Division
- Indian tribes and Native American voters
- Election workers and poll watchers
- Plaintiffs in voting rights litigation (expanded attorneys' fees)
Likely Burden Bearers
- States and local governments with voting rights violation histories (preclearance requirements)
- State legislatures in covered jurisdictions (cannot implement voting changes without federal approval)
- Local election officials (notice and transparency requirements)
- Those who would intimidate voters or interfere with elections (new criminal penalties)
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "the_court"
- → United States District Court (primarily D.C. District)
- "covered_jurisdiction"
- → States or political subdivisions meeting violation thresholds
- "the_attorney_general"
- → Attorney General of the United States
- "election_workers"
- → Persons employed by agents, contractors, or vendors of election officials
- "election_officials"
- → Legally authorized election officials
Note: 'The Attorney General' refers consistently to the U.S. Attorney General throughout both titles
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
Final court judgments finding VRA violations, DOJ objections to voting changes, or consent decrees/settlements admitting liability for voting discrimination
A party that receives at least some benefit sought, states a colorable claim, and establishes the action caused a change to status quo
Has the meaning given in section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304)
Indian country, Alaska Native lands, tribal government seat lands, and tribal statistical areas as defined by Census Bureau
Has the meaning given in section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304)
The recognized governing body of an Indian Tribe
Population 18 or older within a State, political subdivision, or subdivision containing Indian lands, per decennial census
Acts violating 14th/15th/19th/24th/26th Amendments, VRA, NVRA, UOCAVA, HAVA, or other federal voting rights laws including ADA
Any political subdivision with population of 10,000 or less
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology