John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2025
Official title: A bill to amend the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to revise the criteria for determining which States and political subdivisions are subject to section 4 of the Act, and for other purposes.
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Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. (text: CR S4821)
John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2025
This bill establishes new criteria for determining which states and political subdivisions must obtain preclearance before changes to voting practices may take effect. Preclearance is the process of receiving preapproval from the Department of Justice (DOJ) or the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia before making legal changes that would affect voting rights.
A state and all of its political subdivisions shall be subject to preclearance of voting practice changes for a 10-year period if, during the previous 25 years:
- 15 or more voting rights violations occurred in the state; or
- 10 or more violations occurred, at least 1 of which was committed by the state itself.
A political subdivision as a separate unit shall also be subject to preclearance for a 10-year period if three or more voting rights violations occurred there during the previous 25 years.
States and political subdivisions that meet certain thresholds regarding minority groups must preclear covered practices before implementation, such as redistricting.
States and political subdivisions must notify the public of changes to voting practices.
The bill authorizes DOJ to require states or political subdivisions to provide certain documents or answers to questions for enforcing voting rights.
The bill outlines factors courts must consider when hearing challenges to voting practices, such as the extent of any history of official voting discrimination in the state or political subdivision.
The bill also includes certain protections for election workers, polling places, and election infrastructure.
- Introduced in Senate Formatted Text PDF Formatted XML
- TRANSPARENCY INTERNATIONAL U.S. (A PROJECT OF THE FUND FOR CONSTITUTIONAL GOVT)
- CAMPAIGN LEGAL CENTER, INC.
- YWCA USA
- BRADY CAMPAIGN TO PREVENT GUN VIOLENCE
- PARALYZED VETERANS OF AMERICA
- DEMOCRACY 21
Bodies those filers lobbied
- HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
- SENATE
- Justice, Dept of (DOJ)
- Labor, Dept of (DOL)
- Transportation, Dept of (DOT)
- White House Office
- Administration on Aging
- AMTRAK - Natl Railroad Passenger Corporation
Cite this page
U.S. Congress. (2026). S. 2523: John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2025. 119th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/119-S-2523/
"S. 2523: John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2025." 119th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/119-S-2523/.
S. 2523, 119th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/119-S-2523/.
[S. 2523: John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2025](https://openamerica.io/bill/119-S-2523/)