The Supreme Court today rejected a challenge to Indiana’s voter identification law, the most restrictive in the country, despite the fact that the law could block access to the ballot box for thousands of citizens.

“The Supreme Court has abdicated its role as the defender of our democracy. The Justices should clear the path to the ballot box for voters, not help block the way,” said Kathryn Kolbert, President of People For the American Way Foundation. “Voter ID laws are intended to suppress voter turnout. If voter ID advocates were truly interested in fixing our election system, they’d be working to make elections verifiable and end deceptive practices that keep people from the polls.

“Democracy only works when all eligible voters can actually cast a ballot. The Justices are letting politicians erect barricades against some groups of voters — and that’s absolutely unacceptable. It’s particularly galling that this ruling comes just before a primary that was predicted to include record numbers of new voters. I’m afraid this is exactly the kind of ruling we’ve grown to expect from this Court. It highlights once again how important future nominees to the High Court will be to Americans rights and legal protections.”

“The threat of voter fraud is a ruse. Study after study shows that there is no widespread in person fraud by voters in this country, but there are millions of eligible voters who don’t have the ID these laws require — senior citizens who don’t drive, students, the disabled, low-income people, all of whom have the right to vote. These laws throw up barriers that keep people away from the polls.

People For the American Way Foundation joined an amicus brief in this case regarding the myth of voter fraud. The brief can be found here.