# Justice Manual § 8-2.271: Voting Section—Voting Rights Act

> Federal · Agency guidance · In force

URL: https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/JM_S8-2.271

## Section

- **Citation:** Justice Manual § 8-2.271
- **Heading:** Voting Section—Voting Rights Act
- **Jurisdiction:** Federal
- **Kind:** Agency guidance
- **Status:** In force
- **Text as of:** August 14, 2026
- **Source:** Compiled text
- **Location:** DOJ Justice Manual / Title 8: Civil Rights / 8-2.000 - Enforcement Of Civil Rights Civil Statutes / Justice Manual § 8-2.271

## Text

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 contains a number of protections of the right to vote, 52 U.S.C. §§ 10301 to 10702, as do the earlier the Civil Rights Acts, 52 U.S.C. §§ 10101, 20701 to 20706.  Specifically, the Voting Rights Act:

extends a nationwide prohibition on voting practices by states and local jurisdictions that have the purpose or result of denying or abridging the right of any citizen to vote on account of race, color, or membership in a protected language minority group;
protects the ability of voters who need assistance in voting due to blindness, disability, or inability to read or write to receive assistance from a person of the voter’s choice (other than a representative of the voter’s employer or union);
requires certain covered jurisdictions to provide election materials in one or more languages in addition to English so that citizens who are members of covered language minority groups can participate effectively in the electoral process;
prohibits any person acting under color of law from denying eligible persons the right to vote or failing or refusing to count their votes;
prohibits intimidation, threats, or coercion of persons for voting or attempting to vote, or for urging or aiding a person to vote or attempt to vote;
prohibits jurisdictions from denying the right to vote based on tests or devices, such as literacy tests, understanding tests, educational achievement requirements, moral character requirements, and requirements that registrants prove their qualifications by having other persons vouch for them;
authorizes time-limited relief in certain cases for federal observers to monitor elections or for courts or the Department of Justice to review changes in election procedures; and
authorizes civil actions against the imposition of a poll tax and certain durational residency requirements in presidential elections, and to enforce the Twenty-sixth Amendment, which prohibits the denial of the right to vote on account of age of anyone over the age of 18.

[added March 2018]

## Nearby sections

- [Justice Manual § 8-2.010 General Procedures](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/JM_S8-2.010.md)
- [Justice Manual § 8-2.100 Civil Rights Matters](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/JM_S8-2.100.md)
- [Justice Manual § 8-2.110 Pre-Investigation Review and Investigations](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/JM_S8-2.110.md)
- [Justice Manual § 8-2.120 Institution of Civil Proceedings—Authorization](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/JM_S8-2.120.md)
- [Justice Manual § 8-2.130 Litigation and Trial](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/JM_S8-2.130.md)
- [Justice Manual § 8-2.140 Intervention](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/JM_S8-2.140.md)
- [Justice Manual § 8-2.150 Appeals](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/JM_S8-2.150.md)
- [Justice Manual § 8-2.160 Cooperation with Private Litigants](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/JM_S8-2.160.md)
- [Justice Manual § 8-2.170 Standards for Amicus Participation and Statements of Interest](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/JM_S8-2.170.md)
- [Justice Manual § 8-2.210 Employment Litigation Section](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/JM_S8-2.210.md)
- [Justice Manual § 8-2.211 Employment Litigation Section—Affirmative Suits Under Title VII](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/JM_S8-2.211.md)
- [Justice Manual § 8-2.212 Employment Litigation Section—Affirmative Suits Under Executive Orders 11246, as Amended](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/JM_S8-2.212.md)
- [Justice Manual § 8-2.213 Employment Litigation Section—Affirmative Suits under the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/JM_S8-2.213.md)
- [Justice Manual § 8-2.214 Employment Litigation Section—Defensive Suits](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/JM_S8-2.214.md)

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Source: Frix Law Library, https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/JM_S8-2.271. Check the current official text before relying on it. Not legal advice.