Legal Research on Voting Rights Act Amendments of 1982 1

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!Er ATTAC}IMENT A

Mr. Alex Brock
Executive SecretarY - Director
State Board of Electlons
Sulte 801, Raleigh Bullding
5 West Hargett Screet
Raleigh, N5rth Carolina 2760L

Dear !'tr. Brock:

This is ln reference to the 1968 amendment (tl'B' No' 47L
(1967)ll'*tii[ ;;";ia;;-it"t no countv shall be dlvided in the
i;;;;Li;n ;f a Senate or iepresentat,lve dlstrlct and whlch was

;;;;;;it'-r"uritied to tt,u-ltiiil"y General Pursuan-t-to section 5

of the votin[-Riitti-ect di 1965,-as Itn.nded, -9? U.S.C. 1973c'
your submissio"-fiii completed on October 1, 1981.

._ . We have Eede a careful review of the Lnforuratio-n that- you
have pto"fdea, the- events-arrrortiitg the enactment of the change'
the aoollcaiio"-oi ih" .r"nitlni tn fast legi-slatlve reaPPortio']-
iJi.!i"iii-io"r""is -ina r"ioiratlon lrovldeE by oth.er I'nterested
il;;ier:'--0"-th;--U"rii-oi-'tt"C-anaiyits, ue arl -tmable to conclude
that rhis "r.iii""t,-ptot,iUiting 

tha diirision of counties Ln

;:;;;d;;ioiil.ii6l aoei "ot-t""t"a-aitciltit 
rtory PurPoEe or effect'

Our analysls shows that the prolrlbttlon agalnst {tvldlng
rhe 40 .orri"i-t6""ti"i ir,-ir,e formitton of senate and House

distrlcrs predlctably tue;fi;t,-9nd-has led to the use of,- large
Eulti-menber dlstricte. 'O"i-"n"lysls shows furCher thet the use

;f;:It[,;i**:;ik:"it : :#:i i::: " i: ?:' li.i*i!! : :iE:l 3?:t!,
rn rhe conrE;; ii'ir,I-i;;-i;i-;ioc ,otlng thEt seeT: to exlst, auch

a phenom"noi"ip.i"i.i 
""i-"ouid-conttnuE 

to-operate "to mlnim1ze
;r";;;.r;;i"i,.,t-'th;i-rotir,! tii"ngitt of raclal . . . elements of the
,"ti"i-p6p"iitiiii]"--!;;Er;;-;."p911s,, 37e u.s. 433, 43e (Is6s)'

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' Thle determlnation with qespect, to ttrc Jurl.edlsttonaeovered by section 5 of the votirg- Rightc Act ito"ia-in no
way^be regarded as precluding-the.s_tate from forlorr,ing apollcy of prcsenring county ilnes irhenever feasl.bre r;formulatlng lte new .!istricte. tndeed, thls le the poriey tnnany-rtateer. subJect_only to the preclearance requirements of8eetlon 5r r/here appllcable. tn Lhe present eubrilsslon,
howeverr rre are evaluating a legal retluirement that cvery
county muet be included ti ttre iran aj an undivided whole.As noted ab.ove, the Lnescapable effect of such a requirementl.r to oubmerge Elzeable bllck cqnmunltles ln rargi riulti-
nenber distilcts.

.. Under these circumstances, and guideit by the atanrlardscstabllehed ln cases suctr aB Beef v. uiitea stlte;, 425 u.s.130 (1976), lre are unabre to 6i?tuaeETlt=EE]E6 
"r"ndmentrequlrlng nondivislon of counties ln tegieriii"e-i"aiitii;i;g

does not have a raciarly cliscriminatory purpose or effect.Accordinglyr On behalf of the Attorney General, I must 
- - -

Lnterpose an objection to Urat amendmlnt insofir as it affectethe covered counties. '

of course-, as providetl by section 5 of the voting
lrghts- Actr -you have the right -to seek a declaratot juSgment
frcrn the united states oistiict court for the oistrict ofcolumbia that thie cihange has neither the purpose nor willhave the effect of denying.or abridging thl right to vote onaecount of racer color or membership in a langlage ninoritygroup. In additlonr the procedures- for the Adminietration ofsectlon 5 (sectlon 51.44, 46 Fed. Reg. g?g) permlt you torequest the Attorney General to reconsider the objeltion.
However, untll.the gbjection rs b,lthdriun or the judgment
frcrn the District of corumhia te obtained, the efFeci of theobJection by the Attorney General Le to make the tg68 amendmentlegally unenforceable.

_ If you have any guestlona concernlng thie matter,pleaae feel free to carl carl w. Gable lzo2-tz4-7439l t iirectorof the Section 5 Unlt of the Votlng gection.

Slncerely,

Hh. BraCford Reyno
Aseletant Attorney General

Clvll Rlghte Dtvlelon

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