About Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act

• Introduction to Section 5 Preclearance
• Jurisdictions That Must Obtain Section 5 Preclearance (Covered Jurisdictions)
• What Must be Precleared Under Section 5 (Covered Changes)
• Making Section 5 Submissions
• Section 5 Guidelines
• Notices of Section 5 Activity
• Section 5 Objections
• Litigation Concerning Section 5

Section 5 Guidelines

The Section 5 Administrative Guidelines Provide Detailed Information About Preclearance Procedures and Standards for Review

The Attorney General's Guidelines for the Administration of Section 5 are published at 28 C.F.R. Part 51. These Administrative Guidelines identify those jurisdictions covered under Section 4, provide examples of the types of voting-related practices and procedures that require Section 5 review, describe the steps in making Section 5 administrative submissions, and explain the process by which submissions are reviewed and the factors considered in making Section 5 determinations. In addition, jurisdictions covered under Section 5 because of the presence of language minority groups will find helpful the Voting Section's minority language guidelines, known formally as "Implementation of the Provisions of the Voting Rights Act Regarding Language Minority Groups," and codified as Part 55 of Title 28 of the Code of Federal Regulations. The Voting Section reprints copies of the Voting Rights Act, the Section 5 Guidelines, and the Minority Language Guidelines in booklet form, and will mail copies upon request to covered jurisdictions and interested persons.

New procedures for the delivery of mail and overnight express parcels to the Civil Rights Division have been instituted. The Voting Section's postal address (P.O. Box 66128, Washington DC 20035) is no longer in effect.

The Department has established a single address for the receipt of all United States Postal Service mail including certified mail and express mail.  All mail to the Voting Section must have the full address listed below:

Chief, Voting Section
Civil Rights Division
Room 7254 - NWB
Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Washington, DC   20530

Chief, Voting Section
Civil Rights Division
Room 7254 - NWB
Department of Justice
1800 G St., N.W.
Washington, DC 20006

If you are sending a Section 5 submission, please make sure that the front of the envelope identifies it as a submission under Section 5 and your return address is clearly indicated.

Section 5 Administrative Guidelines Online

• Subpart A -- General Provisions
• Subpart B -- Procedures for Submission to the Attorney General
• Subpart C -- Contents of Submissions
• Subpart D -- Communications From Individuals and Groups
     [For the correct address for sending a Section 5 submission, see the addresses above]
• Subpart E -- Processing of Submissions
• Subpart F -- Determinations by the Attorney General
• Subpart G -- Sanctions
• Subpart H -- Petition to Change Procedures
• Appendix to Part 51 -- Covered Jurisdictions

A Detailed Index to the Section 5 Administrative Guidelines is also available.

Copies of the full set of Guidelines are posted, but please note the file sizes if you have a slower Internet connection:

• All Section 5 Administrative Guidelines (HTML)(112K)
  
• All Section 5 Administrative Guidelines (PDF)(116K)     

Go to the Civil Rights Division Home Page
Go to the Department of Justice Home Page

Last Revised - April 20, 2006