Padilla Applauds Voting Rights Actions by DOJ, Urges Passage of For the People and John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the following statement on Attorney General Merrick Garland’s announcement of a new election fairness initiative by the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division:
“As Republican state legislatures around the country pursue partisan legislation to suppress the vote, I applaud Attorney General Garland’s renewed effort to protect our voters and elections. I am heartened to hear the Attorney General highlight the racist history of voter suppression and the need to protect election officials and voters from intimidation, and call out the ongoing disinformation-based efforts to undermine confidence in our elections. As California’s former Chief Elections Officer, I know all too well the challenges of disinformation, and threats faced by election workers on the front lines of our democracy.
“But as Attorney General Garland emphasized, our fight for truly democratic elections faced a severe setback when the Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act. Only by passing new voting rights legislation can Congress give the Department of Justice the tools it needs to protect our democracy. I join Attorney General Garland in urging my colleagues to pass S.1, the For the People Act, and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, immediately.”
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