The Voting Rights Act prohibits discrimination on the basis of race or language minority status (i.e., Asian Americans, Native Americans, Alaskan Natives, and Spanish-speakers). Section 2 of the Act applies across the country and bars the use of voting practices or procedures that discriminate against members of such protected classes. For example, Section 2 has been used successfully to attack restrictive voter registration requirements and the locations of polling places at sites inaccessible to minority voters.
