Civil Rights Act of 1960, Title III
Congress passed the Civil Rights Act of 1960 after the 1957 Act proved weak. Title III required election officials to preserve records and let the Attorney General inspect them in cases alleging voting discrimination.
The Justice Department used the inspection power to challenge Black voter disenfranchisement in the South.
The inspection mechanism became a standing tool in federal voting-rights enforcement.
The DOJ invoked this same statute in 2026 to demand Utah's statewide database. Judge Barlow held the list 'does not fall within the scope' of Title III, which historically covered specific election records, not general voter registration databases.
