Voting Rights Act Reauthorization
Renewing Preclearance and Coverage Formula Provisions
With the signature of President George W. Bush on July 27, 2006, the Fannie Lou Hamer, Rosa Parks, and Coretta Scott King Voting Rights Act Reauthorization and Amendments Act of 2006 was enacted into law. Among other provisions, this Act amends the Voting Rights Act of 1965 by reauthorizing the temporary provisions for 25 years, until 2032. Congress enacted the original Voting Rights Act of 1965 (VRA) to protect the voting rights of all Americans. While the VRA is a permanent Federal law, it contains some temporary provisions: the coverage formula and “preclearance” procedures (Sections 4 and 5), the assignment…
