An Assessment of MINORITY VOTING RIGHTS ACCESS in the United States

"Congress has directed the United States Commission on Civil Rights (“the Commission”) to annually examine “Federal civil rights enforcement efforts.” 1 In this report, the Commission examines minority voting rights access through the lens of the federal government’s enforcement of the Voting Rights Act (VRA) of 1965 since the 2006 reauthorization of its special provisions.2 On February 2, 2018, the Commission held a field briefing in Raleigh, North Carolina. 3 The Commission heard testimony from 23 voting rights experts, including former United States Department of Justice (DOJ or Department) officials from both Republican and Democratic administrations, state election officials, and voting rights experts and advocates. 4 The Commission also heard from 33 members of the public, and received 31 post-briefing written statements in connection with this investigation. The Commission invited officials from relevant offices within the DOJ, but they declined the Commission’s invitation to testify at our field briefing. The Department provided data and documents, which are discussed in Chapter 5. The Department also reviewed a draft of this report and provided comments. The Commission draws this report from the above-referenced sources and independent research. Further, the Commission has considered and been informed by voting rights reports from its State Advisory Committees (SACs).5.."
Minority voting access