Federal Civil Rights Commission Finds Voting Rights Under Attack

WASHINGTON – Vanita Gupta, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, issued the following statement on the United States Commission on Civil Rights’ briefing report, An Assessment of Minority Voting Rights Access in the United States:

“This report puts a federal imprimatur on what we have been saying: the right to vote is under attack, and that diminishes our democracy. In its unanimous conclusion, the commission found that voting discrimination persists and that access to the ballot is still burdensome for racial minorities, voters with disabilities, and voters with limited English proficiency. We applaud the recommendations that Congress restore and expand the Voting Rights Act to thwart continuing discrimination, and that the Department of Justice robustly enforce the Act. For the sake of our democracy, they must do so.”

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights is 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 member organizations, visit www.civilrights.org.