Relevant factors.

§ 51.57 Relevant factors. Among 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 No. 3262–2011, 76 FR 21249, Apr. 15, 2011]