Govwatch

Introduced

In Committee

3

Passed One Chamber

4

Passed Both

5

Signed into Law

Sponsor

Richard J. Durbin

Democrat · IL · Senator

Votes with party: 56.8% (322 recorded votes)

Full profile: /officials/D000563

Source: Congress.gov · FEC

Cosponsors (46)

Members who have signed on to support this bill since introduction. Source: Congress.gov.

Latest Action

The most recent step in the bill's legislative path. Committee Activity below shows referrals and reports; the full action-by-action history including floor proceedings lives at Congress.gov →

Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. (text: CR S4821)

2025-07-29

Source: Congress.gov

Committee Activity

Currently in

Senate Committee on the JudiciaryReferred To · 2025-07-29

Previously

Judiciary CommitteeReferred To · 2025-07-29

Plain-English Summary

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.

Plain-English rewrite of the Congressional Research Service summary published on Congress.gov. Cached and reviewed.

Subjects

Government Operations and Politics

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Open text view Read on Congress.gov

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