Padilla Condemns Supreme Court Decisions Undermining Free and Fair Elections
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the following statement on today’s Supreme Court’s decisions in Brnovich v. Democratic National Committee and Americans for Prosperity Foundation v. Bonta.
“In a pair of 6-3 decisions today, the Supreme Court turned its back on the basic foundations of our democracy and further opened the door to discrimination and big-money influence in our elections.
“The Supreme Court’s decision in Brnovich v. Democratic National Committee undermines the legacy of the federal Voting Rights Act, which Congress passed in 1965 to prevent racial discrimination in the electoral process. In the six decades since the Voting Rights Act’s bipartisan enactment, its protections have proven themselves indispensable. Our democracy is weaker today because six conservative justices shamefully chose to ignore the struggles voters of color still face in making their voice heard at the ballot box. Tragically, their decision will only embolden the ongoing Republican-led voter suppression efforts across the country.
“On the same day, in Americans for Prosperity Foundation v. Bonta, the Court’s conservative majority struck down a California law promoting transparency for big-money donors to nonprofit organizations. The decision threatens our campaign finance and transparency laws, and further opens the door to dark money influence in our elections.
“Congress must act to protect and expand voting rights for all Americans. That means passing both the For the People Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. Our democracy depends on the voices of the people, and if the Supreme Court will not protect them, Congress must.”
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