Civil and Human Rights Coalition Applauds Voting Rights Rulings, Calls for Federal Voting Discrimination Protections

WASHINGTON — Wade Henderson, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, issued the following statement after court decisions stopped discriminatory voting changes from going into effect in Texas and Wisconsin:

“Our democracy cannot adequately function when our right to vote is subject to a roller coaster of legal rulings just weeks before the election. Without clear, consistent federal protections, we will be in a constant, chaotic and expensive battle to protect the right to vote until we restore the Voting Rights Act.

Voter discrimination is still an entrenched reality across the country. But mounting lawsuits like those in Wisconsin and Texas would be unsustainable and untenable for most voters to replicate in their own communities.

Congress failed to act to restore federal voting rights protections in 2014 and we’re now facing the most unfair and disorganized election landscape in modern history. Without federal action, voters will be vulnerable and – all too often – excluded from our democracy.”

Wade Henderson is the 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.

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