The records related to voting rights compose the majority of the Operating Files. References are made throughout this portion of the collection to 1971(a) and 1971(b), which are sections of the 1957 Civil Rights Act. 1971(a) violations involved the use of poll taxes, literacy tests, and other means to keep black citizens from voting. In 1971(b) cases, counties used intimidation and threats to suppress voting rights.

The Operating Files reflect some of the main types of discriminatory practices and behaviors that John Doar and the Civil Rights Division targeted during the civil rights movement, particularly in the South. The majority of materials in the series relate to protecting voting rights and enforcing school desegregation; other issues compose a comparatively small portion of the series.