Promoting transparency to enforce the Voting Rights Act

(a) Transparency The Voting Rights Act of 1965 (52 U.S.C. 10301 et seq.) is amended by inserting after section 5 the following: 6. Transparency regarding changes to protect voting rights (a) Notice of enacted changes (1) Notice of Changes If a State or political subdivision makes any change in any qualification or prerequisite to voting or standard, practice, or procedure with respect to voting in any election for Federal office that will result in the qualification or prerequisite, standard, practice, or procedure being different from that which was in effect as of 180 days before the date of the election for Federal office, the State or political subdivision shall provide reasonable public notice in such State or political subdivision and on the website of the State or political subdivision, of a concise description of the change, including the difference between the changed qualification or prerequisite, standard, practice, or procedure and the qualification, prerequisite, standard, practice, or procedure which was previously in effect. The public notice described in this paragraph, in such State or political subdivision and on the website of a State or political subdivision, shall be in a format that is reasonably convenient and accessible to persons with disabilities who are eligible to vote, including persons who have low vision or are blind. (2) Deadline for notice A State or political subdivision shall provide the public notice required under paragraph (1) not later than 48 hours after making the change involved. (b) Transparency Regarding Polling Place Resources (1) In general In order to identify any changes that may impact the right to vote of any person, prior to the 30th day before the date of an election for Federal office, each State or political subdivision with responsibility for allocating registered voters, voting machines, and official poll workers to particular precincts and polling places shall provide reasonable public notice in such State or political subdivision and on the website of a State or political subdivision, of the information described in paragraph (2) for precincts and polling places within such State or political subdivision. The public notice described in this paragraph, in such State or political subdivision and on the website of a State or political subdivision, shall be in a format that is reasonably convenient and accessible to persons with disabilities who are eligible to vote, including persons who have low vision or are blind. (2) Information described The information described in this paragraph with respect to a precinct or polling place is each of the following: (A) The name or number. (B) In the case of a polling place, the location, including the street address, and whether such polling place is accessible to persons with disabilities. (C) The voting-age population of the area served by the precinct or polling place, broken down by demographic group if such breakdown is reasonably available to such State or political subdivision. (D) The number of registered voters assigned to the precinct or polling place, broken down by demographic group if such breakdown is reasonably available to such State or political subdivision. (E) The number of voting machines assigned, including the number of voting machines accessible to persons with disabilities who are eligible to vote, including persons who have low vision or are blind. (F) The number of official paid poll workers assigned. (G) The number of official volunteer poll workers assigned. (H) In the case of a polling place, the dates and hours of operation. (3) Updates in information reported If a State or political subdivision makes any change in any of the information described in paragraph (2), the State or political subdivision shall provide reasonable public notice in such State or political subdivision and on the website of a State or political subdivision, of the change in the information not later than 48 hours after the change occurs or, if the change occurs fewer than 48 hours before the date of the election for Federal office, as soon as practicable after the change occurs. The public notice described in this paragraph and published on the website of a State or political subdivision shall be in a format that is reasonably convenient and accessible to persons with disabilities who are eligible to vote, including persons who have low vision or are blind. (c) Transparency of Changes Relating to Demographics and Electoral Districts (1) Requiring public notice of changes Not later than 10 days after making any change in the constituency that will participate in an election for Federal, State, or local office or the boundaries of a voting unit or electoral district in an election for Federal, State, or local office (including through redistricting, reapportionment, changing from at-large elections to district-based elections, or changing from district-based elections to at-large elections), a State or political subdivision shall provide reasonable public notice in such State or political subdivision and on the website of a State or political subdivision, of the demographic and electoral data described in paragraph (3) for each of the geographic areas described in paragraph (2). (2) Geographic areas described The geographic areas described in this paragraph are as follows: (A) The State as a whole, if the change applies statewide, or the political subdivision as a whole, if the change applies across the entire political subdivision. (B) If the change includes a plan to replace or eliminate voting units or electoral districts, each voting unit or electoral district that will be replaced or eliminated. (C) If the change includes a plan to establish new voting units or electoral districts, each such new voting unit or electoral district. (3) Demographic and electoral data The demographic and electoral data described in this paragraph with respect to a geographic area described in paragraph (2) are each of the following: (A) The voting-age population, broken down by demographic group. (B) The number of registered voters, broken down by demographic group if such breakdown is reasonably available to the State or political subdivision involved. (C) (i) If the change applies to a State, the actual number of votes, or (if it is not reasonably practicable for the State to ascertain the actual number of votes) the estimated number of votes received by each candidate in each statewide election held during the 5-year period which ends on the date the change involved is made; and (ii) if the change applies to only one political subdivision, the actual number of votes, or (if it is not reasonably practicable for the political subdivision to ascertain the actual number of votes) the estimated number of votes in each subdivision-wide election held during the 5-year period which ends on the date the change involved is made. (4) Voluntary Compliance by smaller jurisdictions Compliance with this subsection shall be voluntary for a political subdivision of a State unless the subdivision is one of the following: (A) A county or parish. (B) A municipality with a population greater than 10,000, as determined by the Bureau of the Census under the most recent decennial census. (C) A school district with a population greater than 10,000, as determined by the Bureau of the Census under the most recent decennial census. For purposes of this subparagraph, the term school district means the geographic area under the jurisdiction of a local educational agency (as defined in section 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965). (d) Rules Regarding Format of Information The Attorney General may issue rules specifying a reasonably convenient and accessible format that States and political subdivisions shall use to provide public notice of information under this section. (e) No denial of right To vote The right to vote of any person shall not be denied or abridged because the person failed to comply with any change made by a State or political subdivision to a voting qualification, prerequisite, standard, practice, or procedure if the State or political subdivision involved did not meet the applicable requirements of this section with respect to the change. (f) Definitions In this section— (1) the term demographic group means each group which section 2 protects from the denial or abridgement of the right to vote on account of race or color, or in contravention of the guarantees set forth in section 4(f)(2); (2) the term election for Federal office means any general, special, primary, or runoff election held solely or in part for the purpose of electing any candidate for the office of President, Vice President, Presidential elector, Senator, Member of the House of Representatives, or Delegate or Resident Commissioner to the Congress; and (3) the term persons with disabilities, means individuals with a disability, as defined in section 3 of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.. (b) Effective Date The amendment made by subsection (a)(1) shall apply with respect to changes which are made on or after the expiration of the 60-day period which begins on the date of the enactment of this Act.