Civil and Human Rights Coalition Commends Justice Department and Congress for Efforts to Protect Rights of Voters

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WASHINGTON, DC – Wade Henderson, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, issued the following statement after Attorney General Eric Holder announced his intention to use what remains of the Voting Rights Act (VRA) to stop efforts to discriminate against minority voters:

“Today’s announcement by Attorney General Holder is welcome news for the voters whose rights were put in peril by the Supreme Court. However, we shouldn’t be fooled into thinking that what remains of the Voting Rights Act is sufficient to protect voters from discrimination.

Not all voting discrimination can be remedied by the remaining tools in the VRA. While the Texas case is a high-profile, statewide case, a significant amount of voting discrimination occurs at the local level where there are not sufficient resources for voters to bring legal challenges. Under what remains of the VRA, voters must now wait for discrimination to occur and then engage in costly and drawn out litigation to protect their rights.

While Congress is working to update the law, we’re encouraged that the Justice Department is working with the remaining tools at its disposal to protect voters.

We commend Attorney General Holder for his efforts and encourage his continued vigilance to challenge voting discrimination across the country. We also commend the Democratic and Republican members of Congress who recognize the need to come together on a bipartisan consensus to restore the VRA.”

Wade Henderson is president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 200 national organizations to promote and protect the rights of all persons in the United States. The Leadership Conference works toward an America as good as its ideals. For more information on The Leadership Conference and its 200-plus member organizations, visit www.civilrights.org.