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Re‐righting the law: The impact of VRA preclearance on language minorities

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  • James M. Harrison
  • Aaron M. Gamino

Abstract

The 1975 Voting Rights Act (VRA) extended voting rights protections to language minority groups. Employing a triple difference design, we find that language minority voter turnout remained stable in VRA‐shielded counties while it eroded elsewhere. This led to a reallocation of state educational funds away from unshielded counties. As a result, shielded counties experienced preferable changes in their high school graduation rates, white‐collar job attainment, and income. We find most of these differences were driven by the VRA's preclearance provision.

Suggested Citation

  • James M. Harrison & Aaron M. Gamino, 2025. "Re‐righting the law: The impact of VRA preclearance on language minorities," Economics and Politics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 37(1), pages 487-544, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:ecopol:v:37:y:2025:i:1:p:487-544
    DOI: 10.1111/ecpo.12324
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