Voting Rights Act of 1965

E8555

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is a landmark U.S. federal law that outlawed discriminatory voting practices and enforced African Americans’ right to vote, especially in the South.

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Statements (56)

Predicate Object
instanceOf United States federal statute
civil rights legislation
abbreviation VRA
affectedByCourtDecision Shelby County v. Holder
surface form: Shelby County v. Holder (2013)
amendedBy Voting Rights Act Amendments of 1970
Voting Rights Act Amendments of 1975
Voting Rights Act Amendments of 1982
Voting Rights Act Reauthorization and Amendments Act of 2006
authorizes appointment of federal examiners to register voters
appointment of federal observers to monitor elections
federal oversight of elections in certain jurisdictions
federal oversight of voter registration
codifiedAt 52 U.S.C. §§ 10301–10702
constitutionalBasis Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution
Fourteenth Amendment
surface form: Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution
containsSection Section 2
Section 203
Section 4
Section 4(b)
Section 5
country United States of America
surface form: United States
effectiveDate 1965-08-06
enactedBy 89th United States Congress
extendedBy Voting Rights Act Amendments of 1970
Voting Rights Act Amendments of 1975
Voting Rights Act Amendments of 1982
Voting Rights Act Reauthorization and Amendments Act of 2006
historicalContext enacted during the Civil Rights Era
inspiredBy American civil rights movement
surface form: Civil Rights Movement
introducedInChamber United States Senate
landmarkCase Brnovich v. Democratic National Committee
Shelby County v. Holder
South Carolina v. Katzenbach
legislativeStatus amended and partially invalidated by Supreme Court decisions
notableImpact dramatic increase in African American voter registration in the South
increase in the number of African American elected officials
precededBy Civil Rights Act of 1964
primaryPurpose to enforce the Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution
to prohibit racial discrimination in voting
prohibits discriminatory voting practices based on race or color
literacy tests for voting in certain jurisdictions
publicLawNumber Pub.L. 89–110
recognizedAs one of the most effective pieces of civil rights legislation in U.S. history
relatedTo Civil Rights Act of 1964
Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution
24th Amendment to the United States Constitution
surface form: Twenty-Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution
section203Provides language assistance for certain language minority groups in voting
section2Provides a nationwide ban on voting practices that discriminate on the basis of race or color
section4bProvides coverage formula determining which jurisdictions are subject to preclearance
section5Provides a preclearance requirement for certain jurisdictions before changing voting laws
shelbyCountyEffect invalidated Section 4(b) coverage formula and effectively halted Section 5 preclearance
shortName Voting Rights Act of 1965 self-linksurface differs
surface form: Voting Rights Act
signedBy Lyndon B. Johnson
signingDate 1965-08-06
targets states and localities with a history of racial discrimination in voting
title An Act to enforce the fifteenth amendment to the Constitution of the United States, and for other purposes

Referenced by (72)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Voting Rights Act Amendments of 1975 amends Voting Rights Act of 1965
Voting Rights Act Amendments of 1982 amends Voting Rights Act of 1965
South Carolina v. Katzenbach aroseUnderStatute Voting Rights Act of 1965
Alabama State Capitol associatedWith Voting Rights Act of 1965
Edmund Pettus Bridge associatedWithLegislation Voting Rights Act of 1965
Enforcement Clause basisFor Voting Rights Act of 1965
Alaska Redistricting Board boundBy Voting Rights Act of 1965
this entity surface form: federal Voting Rights Act
1966 Meredith March Against Fear followed Voting Rights Act of 1965
Civil Rights Act of 1964 followedBy Voting Rights Act of 1965
Voting Rights Act Amendments of 1970 follows Voting Rights Act of 1965
VRA fullName Voting Rights Act of 1965
Texas's 34th congressional district governingLaw Voting Rights Act of 1965
National Civil Rights Museum hasExhibitOn Voting Rights Act of 1965
Great Society hasPart Voting Rights Act of 1965
Shelby County v. Holder hasSectionInvolved Voting Rights Act of 1965
this entity surface form: Section 4(b) of the Voting Rights Act of 1965
Shelby County v. Holder hasSectionInvolved Voting Rights Act of 1965
this entity surface form: Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965
Pub.L. 89–110 hasShortName Voting Rights Act of 1965
Shelby County v. Holder hasStatuteInvolved Voting Rights Act of 1965
South Carolina v. Katzenbach held Voting Rights Act of 1965
this entity surface form: the Voting Rights Act of 1965 is a valid exercise of Congress’s enforcement power under the Fifteenth Amendment
Southern Strategy historicalContext Voting Rights Act of 1965
"I Have a Dream" speech influenced Voting Rights Act of 1965
American civil rights movement influenced Voting Rights Act of 1965
Bloody Sunday (March 7, 1965) influenced Voting Rights Act of 1965
Lyndon B. Johnson knownFor Voting Rights Act of 1965
Civil Rights Division legalAuthority Voting Rights Act of 1965
Voting Section legalBasis Voting Rights Act of 1965
New York State Senate districts mustComplyWith Voting Rights Act of 1965
this entity surface form: federal Voting Rights Act of 1965
Johnson administration notablePolicy Voting Rights Act of 1965
Ku Klux Klan opposedLegislation Voting Rights Act of 1965
Southern Democrats opposedPolicy Voting Rights Act of 1965
Section 4(b) partOf Voting Rights Act of 1965
subject surface form: Section 4(b) of the Voting Rights Act of 1965
Voting Rights Act Amendments of 1970 partOf Voting Rights Act of 1965
this entity surface form: Voting Rights Act of 1965 framework
Voting Rights Act Amendments of 1975 partOf Voting Rights Act of 1965
this entity surface form: Voting Rights Act of 1965 legislative framework
Voting Rights Act Amendments of 1982 partOf Voting Rights Act of 1965
89th United States Congress passedAct Voting Rights Act of 1965
Civil Rights Act of 1960 precedes Voting Rights Act of 1965
Texas legislative districts regulatedBy Voting Rights Act of 1965
Katzenbach v. Morgan relatedStatute Voting Rights Act of 1965
Shaw v. Reno relatedStatute Voting Rights Act of 1965
this entity surface form: Voting Rights Act of 1965 (as political backdrop and opposition)
Civil Rights Act of 1957 relatedTo Voting Rights Act of 1965
Civil Rights Act of 1960 relatedTo Voting Rights Act of 1965