The Leadership Conference Condemns Threats to Nationalize Elections
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Brittany G. Cummings, [email protected]
Maya Wiley, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, issued the following statement:
We are celebrating 250 years of a Constitution that the current administration is intent on violating. We condemn in the strongest terms any threats to usurp elections. The call to nationalize elections and any proposals that would strip authority from the states to administer free and fair elections is a threat. The civil rights movement has long fought off any efforts by state, county or local governments to discriminate against voters and suppress their votes. We will fight the efforts of the federal government to stop states from ensuring that voters can vote!
While the administration has not stated its end-game here, it is very clear given their words and actions they want to change how national elections are run for all the wrong reasons. Several members of this administration have repeatedly and with impunity pushed debunked lies about the safety, security and accuracy of the 2020 election. Every voter and elected leader should be concerned about past lies as pretexts for interfering in our elections.
The recent raid in Fulton County, which involved the Director of National Intelligence, brings about serious questions about the misuse of federal power and what the government is attempting to accomplish. This, coupled with the Department of Justice’s unjustified demand for state voter rolls as a bargaining chip for ICE’s de-escalation in Minnesota, is a case in point.
We are watching this government turn against voters in Minnesota and in Fulton County, Georgia and that should concern every one of us because it is about taking power, not winning it. This administration will flout constitutional limits to try and seize control of our state-run electoral systems, rather than protect voting rights and encourage all voters to vote.
The Leadership Conference will not sit quietly by. Democracy is not a promise. It’s a commitment and we will bring all we have to protect the rights of voters to cast their ballot and have it counted. And we will not stop until every American’s right to vote is respected and secure.
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