The Leadership Conference Responds to the Supreme Court’s Decision in Watson v. RNC

A PDF copy of the statement is available here.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: [email protected]

“Today is a win in the fight for a multi-racial, just, fair, and equally representative democracy.”

WASHINGTON — Maya Wiley, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, issued the following statement:

“Today, the Supreme Court denied the Trump administration its demand to interfere with state election administration. It made clear, Mississippi voters’ mail-in-ballots can be counted, if postmarked on Election Day and received up to five days later. This is a victory for voters who should not be blocked from the ballot. In Watson the Court affirmed that states have the authority to run elections. That matters a great deal at a time when the federal government is trying to usurp the role our Constitution confers on states in this area.”

“Mail-in voting helps the elderly, people with disabilities, our servicemembers, and many others to vote. It helps every voter who cannot wait in long lines, including working people trying to make ends meet who cannot leave their jobs to vote on Election Day. It is one of the best tools we have to support voters and encourage active participation in our democracy. Today is a win in the fight for a multi-racial, just, fair, and equally representative democracy. We need voters to vote now more than ever given the blow dealt by the Roberts’ Court majority in its Callais decision, allowing maps that discriminate against people who are Black, Latino, Asian American, and Native American. For our democracy to work for all of us, it must include all of us, and we will not stop until it does.”

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights is a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 240 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 member organizations, visit www.civilrights.org.

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