Civil and Human Rights Coalition Applauds House Introduction of the Voter Empowerment Act

Washington – Wade Henderson, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, issued the following statement on today’s House introduction of the Voter Empowerment Act:

“Today’s introduction of the Voter Empowerment Act sends a powerful message about the importance of eliminating barriers to voting and improving the administration of our elections.

The ability to cast a vote and have that vote count is the most precious civil right in America, but as the November elections demonstrated, it is also the most imperiled. Across the country, states are attempting to exclude citizens from registering and voting on a scale unheard of since passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

The days of poll taxes, literacy tests, and brutal physical intimidation may be behind us, but today’s disenfranchisement tactics aimed at minority communities, while more subtle, are no less pernicious.

The Voter Empowerment Act is a comprehensive plan to strengthen elections, combat voter exclusion, and expand voter participation. We applaud the bill’s sponsors and urge Congress to give it serious consideration as soon as possible.”

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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