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Fannie Lou Hamer, Rosa Parks, and Coretta Scott King Voting Rights Act

Reauthorization and Amendments Act of 2006

A Census Bureau Webinar brought to you by the Public Information Office

Suitland, Maryland

September 2011

Section 203 of the Voting Rights Act (VRA)

• Language minority provisions of the VRA, require that certain states and political subdivisions provide language assistance during elections for certain language minority groups who are unable to speak or understand English adequately enough to participate in the electoral process.

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Section 203 of the Voting Rights Act (VRA)

• Language provisions were introduced in the 1975 reauthorization with the first listing of covered jurisdictions being issued following the 1980 Census.

• The determinations were released again following the 1990 and 2000 Census.

• In the 2006, the Reauthorization extended the provision through 2032 and instructed the Bureau on two changes.

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Section203 Voting Rights ActBackground

Reauthorization instructed the Bureau to produce the determinations using the ACS and other comparable Census data.

As a result, the Bureau used modeled 5-year estimates enhanced with 2010 Census data.

Reauthorization instructed Bureau to produce the determinations every 5 years.

As a result, the Bureau will update this list in 2016.

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Section 203 of the VRALanguage Groups Covered

• The covered language minority groups include:– Hispanic– American Indian and Alaska Native– Asian

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Section 203 of the VRA-Background

• Using a formula with definitions defined in U.S code 42, the task of reporting these determinations is the responsibility of the US Census Bureau Director.

• Dr. Robert M. Groves is releasing this notice on Friday October 13th, 2011.

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Background on the ACS

The American Community Survey (ACS) is a large national survey that uses continuous measurement methods to produce detailed demographic, social, economic, and housing data each year

Questions once asked on the long-form census are now asked in the ACS

It was designed to provide timely data for both large and small geographic areas

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Data Items Collected in the American Community Survey

• Age and sex• Disability• Education• Veterans• Employment• Language • Income• Citizenship

• Poverty• Race and ethnicity• Relationships• Financial characteristics of

housing • Physical characteristics of

housing• … and more

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Questions used in the 203 Formula

• Examples of the questions used in the formula follow:

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Age

Citizenship

Educational Attainment

Language

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Race and Ethnicity

Determination of Covered Areas For Voting Rights Bilingual Election Materials-

State, County, County Subdivision, and American Indian/Alaska Native Areas (AIAN)

Total Population for Minority Groups: • Spanish/Hispanic/Latino• AIAN (American Indian/Alaskan Native)• AIAN tribal group (examples include Cherokee, Iroquois,

Sioux)• Asian group (examples include Chinese, Filipino,

Japanese)

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Determination of Covered Areas For Voting Rights Bilingual Election Materials-

State, County, County Subdivision, and American Indian/Alaska Native Areas (AIAN)

• For each Minority Group: 

– Total Voting Age Population 

– Total Voting Age Citizens 

For each Minority Group: 

Total Voting Age Citizens who are Limited-English Proficient 

For each Minority Group: 

Total Voting Age Citizens who have Less Than a 5th Grade Education 

Total Voting Age Citizens who are Limited-English Proficient and have Less Than a 5th Grade Education

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Determination of Covered Areas For Voting Rights Bilingual Election Materials-

State, County, County Subdivision, and American Indian/Alaska Native Areas (AIAN)

Determinations are then computed based on the following: 

If more than 5% of voting age citizens are limited-English proficient, 

OR 

If more than 10,000 voting age citizens are limited-English proficient, 

AND 

The rate of total voting age citizens that are limited-English proficient and have less than a 5th grade education is higher than the national rate of 1.16 (2011)

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Determination of Covered Areas For Voting Rights Bilingual Election Materials-

State, County, County Subdivision, and American Indian/Alaska Native Areas (AIAN)

THEN: 

The state, county, or county subdivision under consideration is covered for that specific minority group of Section 203 of the Voting Rights Act. 

There is a special computation for American Indian or Alaska Native areas or other tribal lands

If more than 5% of the American Indian or Alaska Native voting age citizens are limited-English proficient

AND

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Determination of Covered Areas For Voting Rights Bilingual Election Materials-

State, County, County Subdivision, and American Indian/Alaska Native Areas (AIAN)

AND

The rate of those voting age citizens who are limited-English proficient and have less than a 5th grade education is higher than the national rate 1.16

THEN

Any political subdivision(s) in which that AIA/ANA is located is covered under Section 203 of the Voting Rights Act.

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Timing for Release

• Currently preparing for release next week

• Time has been spent ensuring the determinations follow statutory requirements.

• Time has been spent ensuring data quality.

• Where can you find the release and more?

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WWW.CENSUS.GOV/RDO

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WWW.CENSUS.GOV/RDO

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Thank You!

Cathy McCully, Chief

Census Redistricting Data Office

301-763-4039

rdo@census.gov

Catherine.clark.mccully@census.gov