WASHINGTON, D.C. – On the 12th anniversary of Shelby County v. Holder, in which the U.S. Supreme Court gutted the “pre-clearance” requirement of Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act that required certain jurisdictions with a history of racial discrimination to seek Department of Justice approval before changing voting laws, All Voting is Local Executive Director Hannah Fried, released the following statement:
“The devastating U.S. Supreme Court ruling in the Shelby County v. Holder case in 2013 opened the floodgates for restrictive voting laws that we see today, including mass voter roll purges, proposed state legislation for birth certificate and passport requirements for voter registration, and cuts to early voting. Since Shelby County v. Holder, the racial turnout gap between white and nonwhite voters has widened, and the Trump Administration is now leading the charge to erode voting rights with a blatant disregard for free and fair elections. All Voting is Local launched as a campaign and later as an independent organization, in response to the Shelby County v. Holder decision, to help expand voter access and remove the barriers that make voting more difficult, particularly for Black, Brown, Native American, and other historically marginalized communities. With the Supreme Court set to hear oral arguments on at least one voting rights case later this fall, All Voting will continue our mission to fight for free and fair elections at the state and local level across the country.”