John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2025

This bill updates and strengthens voting rights protections. It sets clearer rules for when voting maps or policies unfairly weaken people’s votes or make it harder for certain groups to vote. It also requires advance review for certain high‑risk changes, like switching to at‑large elections, redrawing local boundaries, cutting polling places or Sunday voting hours in certain areas, reducing multilingual materials, tightening ID rules, or changing voter roll clean‑up in ways that hit racial or language groups harder. These changes must be cleared before they take effect in places that meet the law’s thresholds . The bill also says new voting rules cannot roll back people’s ability to take part or elect their preferred candidates; this applies to actions taken since January 1, 2021 .

The bill increases transparency by requiring public notice when voting rules change, allows federal observers where needed, and makes it easier for the Justice Department and voters to step in quickly if a new rule would hurt voting rights. It also protects the counting and certification of votes. There are grants to help small towns meet notice rules, and new penalties for threats or violence against voters and election workers .

• Who is affected: Voters, especially racial and language minority communities; election workers; state and local election officials .
• What changes: Clearer legal tests for vote dilution/denial; preclearance for certain risky changes; stronger enforcement and observer powers; notice requirements; protection of tabulated votes; grants for small jurisdictions; penalties for intimidation and interference .
• When: The anti‑rollback rule covers changes made on or after January 1, 2021; some notice rules start 60 days after enactment .