[Code of Federal Regulations] [Title 28, Volume 2] [Revised as of July 1, 2003] From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access [CITE: 28CFR51.10] [Page 83] TITLE 28--JUDICIAL ADMINISTRATION CHAPTER I--DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE (Continued) PART 51--PROCEDURES FOR THE ADMINISTRATION OF SECTION 5 OF THE VOTING RIGHTS ACT OF 1965, AS AMENDED--Table of Contents Subpart A--General Provisions Sec. 51.10 Requirement of action for declaratory judgment or submission to the Attorney General. Section 5 requires that, prior to enforcement of any change affecting voting, the jurisdiction that has enacted or seeks to administer the change must either: (a) Obtain a judicial determination from the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia that denial or abridgment of the right to vote on account of race, color, or membership in a language minority group is not the purpose and will not be the effect of the change or (b) Make to the Attorney General a proper submission of the change to which no objection is interposed. It is unlawful to enforce a change affecting voting without obtaining preclearance under section 5. The obligation to obtain such preclearance is not relieved by unlawful enforcement. [52 FR 490, Jan. 6, 1987; 52 FR 2648, Jan. 23, 1987]