Plain-English summary
Court upholds Arizona's out-of-precinct and ballot-curation rules under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act
In Brnovich v. DNC (2021), the Court reversed the Ninth Circuit and held that two Arizona voting rules — rejecting ballots cast in the wrong precinct and banning most third‑party collection of early ballots — did not violate Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. The decision was 6–3 and remanded to lower courts.
Why this matters
The decision sets a clearer, more state-friendly standard for Section 2 voting-rights claims, making it harder to challenge neutral election rules as racially discriminatory. That affects how lower courts assess claims about many state voting regulations (e.g., polling rules, ballot handling, and absentee-voting procedures).
Who may feel it
- State election officials and legislatures that write voting rules
- Voters, especially in states with strict precinct or ballot-collection rules
- Civil-rights and voting-rights groups that bring Section 2 lawsuits
- Political parties and campaigns that rely on ballot collection or on assisting voters
Key questions