Voting Rights Act of 1965
President Lyndon Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act, which allowed the Justice Department to send federal examiners to register voters in states with a history of discrimination. The law targeted nine states, mostly in the South, where minority turnout was suppressed.
Federal examiners registered hundreds of thousands of Black voters within months. Minority voter registration rose sharply in covered states.
The Voting Rights Act became the backbone of federal voting rights enforcement. Its preclearance requirement meant covered jurisdictions had to get federal approval for any voting change.
The DOJ's authority to send election monitors traces directly to the Voting Rights Act. What began as a tool for the Jim Crow South is now a routine presence in states like Michigan.