Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 120.djvu/608

 PUBLIC LAW 109–246—JULY 27, 2006

120 STAT. 577

Public Law 109–246 109th Congress An Act July 27, 2006 [H.R. 9]

To amend the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Fannie Lou Hamer, Rosa Parks, and Coretta Scott King Voting Rights Act Reauthorization and Amendments Act of 2006’’. SEC. 2. CONGRESSIONAL PURPOSE AND FINDINGS.

(a) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this Act is to ensure that the right of all citizens to vote, including the right to register to vote and cast meaningful votes, is preserved and protected as guaranteed by the Constitution. (b) FINDINGS.—The Congress finds the following: (1) Significant progress has been made in eliminating first generation barriers experienced by minority voters, including increased numbers of registered minority voters, minority voter turnout, and minority representation in Congress, State legislatures, and local elected offices. This progress is the direct result of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. (2) However, vestiges of discrimination in voting continue to exist as demonstrated by second generation barriers constructed to prevent minority voters from fully participating in the electoral process. (3) The continued evidence of racially polarized voting in each of the jurisdictions covered by the expiring provisions of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 demonstrates that racial and language minorities remain politically vulnerable, warranting the continued protection of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. (4) Evidence of continued discrimination includes— (A) the hundreds of objections interposed, requests for more information submitted followed by voting changes withdrawn from consideration by jurisdictions covered by the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and section 5 enforcement actions undertaken by the Department of Justice in covered jurisdictions since 1982 that prevented election practices, such as annexation, at-large voting, and the use of multimember districts, from being enacted to dilute minority voting strength; (B) the number of requests for declaratory judgments denied by the United States District Court for the District of Columbia;

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Fannie Lou Hamer, Rosa Parks, and Coretta Scott King Voting Rights Act Reauthorization and Amendments Act of 2006. 42 USC 1971 note. 42 USC 1973 note.

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