WASHINGTON—In response to the Department of Justice (DOJ) filing an amicus brief in support of Ohio in Husted v. A. Phillip Randolph Institute, a pending Supreme Court case that could allow the state to purge voters if they have been inactive for a two-year period, People For the American Way Executive Vice President Marge Baker released the following statement.

“This reversal of a decades-old DOJ policy makes it perfectly clear that the Trump administration is intent on undermining Americans’ right to vote. Whether it is Trump’s lies about mass in-person voter fraud during the 2016 election, the establishment of a sham “Election Integrity” commission, DOJ switching sides in an important challenge to a Texas voter ID law, or this recent action by DOJ, Trump’s blatant disregard for the core principles of our democracy is alarming. The Justice Department is the agency tasked with enforcing the Voting Rights Act, but Trump and Attorney General Jeff Sessions are intent on launching an all-out assault on voting rights. The Trump-Sessions DOJ is dangerous, and it is clear that Congress and the American people must take action to protect access to the ballot box.”

People For the American Way is a progressive advocacy organization founded to fight right-wing extremism and defend constitutional values including free expression, religious liberty, equal justice under the law, and the right to meaningfully participate in our democracy.

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