Section 51.57 - Relevant factorsAmong the factors the Attorney General will consider in making determinations with respect to the submitted changes affecting voting are the following:
(a) The extent to which a reasonable and legitimate justification for the change exists;(b) The extent to which the jurisdiction followed objective guidelines and fair and conventional procedures in adopting the change;(c) The extent to which the jurisdiction afforded members of racial and language minority groups an opportunity to participate in the decision to make the change;(d) The extent to which the jurisdiction took the concerns of members of racial and language minority groups into account in making the change; and(e) The factors set forth in Village of Arlington Heights v. Metropolitan Housing Development Corp.,429 U.S. 252(1977): (1) Whether the impact of the official action bears more heavily on one race than another;(2) The historical background of the decision;(3) The specific sequence of events leading up to the decision;(4) Whether there are departures from the normal procedural sequence;(5) Whether there are substantive departures from the normal factors considered; and(6) The legislative or administrative history, including contemporaneous statements made by the decision makers.Order 3262-2011, 76 FR 21249, 4/15/2011