United States Code

52 U.S.C. § 10302

Proceeding to enforce the right to vote

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Bills that would change it 17

HR 9222 Drain the Swamp Act Amends 10302(c), 10302(a) · introduced · 119th Congress
S 2523 John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2025 Amends 10302(c), 10302(a) · introduced · 119th Congress
HR 14 John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2025 Amends 10302(c), 10302(a) · introduced · 119th Congress
S 4 John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2024 Amends 10302(c), 10302(a) · introduced · 118th Congress
HR 14 John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2023 Amends 10302(c), 10302(a) · introduced · 118th Congress
HR 7905 Voting Rights Amendment Act of 2022 Amends 10302(c), 10302(a) · introduced · 117th Congress
HR 5746 Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act Amends 10302(c), 10302(a) · introduced · 117th Congress
S 4 John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2021 Amends 10302(c), 10302(a) · introduced · 117th Congress
HR 4 John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2021 Amends 10302(c), 10302(a) · introduced · 117th Congress
HR 4 Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2019 Amends 10302(c), 10302(a) · introduced · 116th Congress
HR 1799 Voting Rights Amendment Act of 2019 Amends 10302(c), 10302(a) · introduced · 116th Congress
S 561 Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2019 Amends 10302(c), 10302(a) · introduced · 116th Congress
HR 5785 Jobs and Justice Act of 2018 Amends 10302(c), 10302(a) · introduced · 115th Congress
HR 5297 To make technical amendments to update statutory references to certain provisions classified to title 52, United States Code. Amends · introduced · 115th Congress
HR 3239 Voting Rights Amendment Act of 2017 Amends 10302(c), 10302(a) · introduced · 115th Congress
HR 2978 Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2017 Amends 10302(c), 10302(a) · introduced · 115th Congress
S 1419 Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2017 Amends 10302(c), 10302(a) · introduced · 115th Congress

The law today

From the official United States Code, current through Public Law 119-121.

(a) Authorization by court for appointment of Federal observers Whenever the Attorney General or an aggrieved person institutes a proceeding under any statute to enforce the voting guarantees of the fourteenth or fifteenth amendment in any State or political subdivision the court shall authorize the appointment of Federal observers by the Director of the Office of Personnel Management in accordance with section 1973d 1 of title 42 to serve for such period of time and for such political subdivisions as the court shall determine is appropriate to enforce the voting guarantees of the fourteenth or fifteenth amendment (1) as part of any interlocutory order if the court determines that the appointment of such observers is necessary to enforce such voting guarantees or (2) as part of any final judgment if the court finds that violations of the fourteenth or fifteenth amendment justifying equitable relief have occurred in such State or subdivision: Provided, That the court need not authorize the appointment of observers if any incidents of denial or abridgement of the right to vote on account of race or color, or in contravention of the voting guarantees set forth in section 10303(f)(2) of this title (1) have been few in number and have been promptly and effectively corrected by State or local action, (2) the continuing effect of such incidents has been eliminated, and (3) there is no reasonable probability of their recurrence in the future. (b) Suspension of use of tests and devices which deny or abridge the right to vote If in a proceeding instituted by the Attorney General or an aggrieved person under any statute to enforce the voting guarantees of the fourteenth or fifteenth amendment in any State or political subdivision the court finds that a test or device has been used for the purpose or with the effect of denying or abridging the right of any citizen of the United States to vote on account of race or color, or in contravention of the voting guarantees set forth in section 10303(f)(2) of this title, it shall suspend the use of tests and devices in such State or political subdivisions as the court shall determine is appropriate and for such period as it deems necessary. (c) Retention of jurisdiction to prevent commencement of new devices to deny or abridge the right to vote If in any proceeding instituted by the Attorney General or an aggrieved person under any statute to enforce the voting guarantees of the fourteenth or fifteenth amendment in any State or political subdivision the court finds that violations of the fourteenth or fifteenth amendment justifying equitable relief have occurred within the territory of such State or political subdivision, the court, in addition to such relief as it may grant, shall retain jurisdiction for such period as it may deem appropriate and during such period no voting qualification or prerequisite to voting or standard, practice, or procedure with respect to voting different from that in force or effect at the time the proceeding was commenced shall be enforced unless and until the court finds that such qualification, prerequisite, standard, practice, or procedure does not have the purpose and will not have the effect of denying or abridging the right to vote on account of race or color, or in contravention of the voting guarantees set forth in section 10303(f)(2) of this title: Provided, That such qualification, prerequisite, standard, practice, or procedure may be enforced if the qualification, prerequisite, standard, practice, or procedure 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 sixty days after such submission, except that neither the court’s finding nor the Attorney General’s failure to object shall bar a subsequent action to enjoin enforcement of such qualification, prerequisite, standard, practice, or procedure.

Official text at uscode.house.gov ↗