Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law Statement in Support of “The Voting Rights Advancement Act”
Washington D.C. – Today, in response to the introduction of H.R. 4: “The Voting Rights Advancement Act” in the 116th Congress, Kristen Clarke, President and Executive Director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, issued the following statement in support of the legislation:
“From Georgia, Texas, North Carolina and beyond, the evidence makes clear that voter suppression and voting discrimination have significantly escalated since the Supreme Court’s 2013 Shelby County decision which brought core provisions of the Voting Rights Act to a grinding halt. We applaud the introduction of H.R. 4 which would provide strong medicine needed to restore the Act and reinstitute the safeguards necessary to ensure that every voice is heard in our democracy. As officials increasingly resort to tactics such as purge programs, polling place closures, burdensome ID laws, and discriminatory registration requirements, it is critical that Congress take action that can block and deter growing efforts to suppress the vote.”
Clarke continued, “voter suppression stands as one of the greatest threats to democracy today and restoration of the Voting Rights Act can help ensure that African Americans, Latinos and other marginalized communities are able to overcome the barriers they face at the polls. The constitution vests Congress with significant power to ensure that all Americans can exercise the vote free from discrimination, and it is critical that Congress use these powers now.”
The “Voting Rights Advancement Act” will create a new coverage formula to determine which states and localities with repeated voting rights violations over the last 25 years must preclear election changes with the Department of Justice and require a nationwide, practice-based preclearance of known discriminatory practices, including the creation of at-large districts, cuts to multilingual voting materials available and cuts to polling places.
About the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law
The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, was formed in 1963 at the request of President John F. Kennedy to involve the private bar in providing legal services to address racial discrimination. Now in its 56th year, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law is continuing its quest to “Move America Toward Justice.” The principal mission of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law is to secure, through the rule of law, equal justice for all, particularly in the areas of criminal justice, fair housing and community development, economic justice, educational opportunities, and voting rights.
Contact
Reynolds Graves, Lawyers’ Committee, press@LawyersCommittee.org, 202-662-8375
