The Commission convened its first hearing as part of a nationwide series to examine the impending reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act. The witnesses focused on the role of the Justice Department in voting rights and urged the reauthorization of the Act. Topics included the redistricting process, court rulings, provisional ballots, and the effect of poverty. After their presentations the witnesses answered commissioners' questions.

The privately-organized commission will hold a series of regional hearings across the country to gather testimony and evidence that will be used to create a comprehensive record on the degree of racial discrimination in voting since the last Voting Rights Act reauthorization in 1982.