Voting Rights Act of 1965

The Attorney General may institute proceedings to enforce the provisions of this Act, and the court shall have power to grant such relief as it deems necessary, including but not limited to preliminary and permanent injunctions, temporary restraining orders, and declaratory judgments. The court may appoint a voting referee to report to the court on the conduct of any election that is the subject of an action under this section. The court shall retain jurisdiction of any action instituted under this section and may issue such orders as it deems necessary to enforce the provisions of this section.

The provisions of this Act shall be effective immediately, and the provisions of sections 4(a) and 5 shall apply to any State or political subdivision with respect to which the prohibitions set forth in section 4(a) are in effect on the date of enactment of this Act. The provisions of sections 4(b) and 5 shall apply to any State or political subdivision which has a voting qualification or prerequisite to voting, or standard, practice, or procedure with respect to voting different from that in force or effect on November 1, 1964. The Attorney General shall make a report to Congress on the first day of June and the first day of January of each year concerning the administration of this Act.

No voting qualification or prerequisite to voting, or standard, practice, or procedure shall be imposed or applied by any State or political subdivision to deny or abridge the right of any citizen of the United States to vote on account of race or color. The terms 'vote' or 'voting' shall include all action necessary to make a vote effective, including, but not limited to, registration, casting a ballot, and having such ballot counted properly. This section shall apply to all elections for federal, state, or local offices. The Attorney General may institute proceedings to enforce this section.

To assure that the right of citizens of the United States to vote is not denied or abridged on account of race or color, no citizen shall be denied the right to vote in any Federal, State, or local election because of his failure to comply with any test or device used to determine his eligibility to vote. The terms 'test or device' shall mean any requirement that a person as a prerequisite for voting or registration for voting must affirmatively establish his eligibility to vote by submitting to any requirements or procedures established by the State or political subdivision for such purpose, including but not limited to literacy, educational, or character tests, the requirement that a person be a registered voter in order to vote, the requirement that a person be a member of a political party in order to vote, and the requirement that a person swear or affirm that he believes in or supports the Constitution of the United States or the Constitution of the State in which he resides.

Whenever a State or political subdivision with respect to which the prohibitions set forth in section 4(a) are in effect shall enact or seek to administer any voting qualification or prerequisite to voting, or standard, practice, or procedure with respect to voting different from that in force or effect on November 1, 1964, such State or subdivision may institute an action in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia for a declaratory judgment that such qualification, prerequisite, standard, practice, or procedure does not have the purpose and will not have the effect of denying or abridging the right to vote on account of race or color. The court shall retain jurisdiction of any action instituted under this section and may issue such orders as it deems necessary to enforce the provisions of this section.