Vote Dilution

Primary definition

A voting practice or procedure that has the effect of diminishing the voting strength of members of a racial, color, or language minority group. Vote dilution is prohibited under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act when it results from practices or procedures that discriminate on the basis of race, color, or membership in a language minority group.

Also known asvote weakening · ballot dilution · electoral dilution · minority vote dilution · racial vote dilution
1 sources cited4 related termsReviewed Aug 9, 2026
U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division Voting SectionView source

Understand more election terms clearly

Get one important election term explained each week, with authoritative sources, practical context and related definitions.

Free. One useful email each week. Unsubscribe anytime.Learn more about the ESG newsletter →
UDJCRD

A voting practice or procedure that has the effect of diminishing the voting strength of members of a racial, color, or language minority group. Vote dilution is prohibited under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act when it results from practices or procedures that discriminate on the basis of race, color, or membership in a language minority group.

U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division Voting Section · 2024

Cite this term

Permanent URL · stable across revisions
Election Security Glossary. (2026). Vote Dilution. In Election Security Glossary. Retrieved August 13, 2026, from https://electionsecurityglossary.com/glossary/vote-dilution

Sources

1 cited · last checked Aug 9, 2026

01

U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division Voting Section
DOJ Civil Rights Division Voting Section

Single-source

View source

Get the weekly election term

Receive one cited, source-backed election explanation in your inbox each week.

Get election terms explained weekly →
Free · Nonpartisan · Unsubscribe anytime.
Continue Research

Keep going from here

Three ways to go deeper on legal & policy and adjacent terminology.