“These two states’ voting laws represent the latest, misguided attempts to fix a system that isn’t broken. These restrictive state laws threaten access to the ballot box. The Justice Department will never shrink from our responsibility to protect the voting rights of every eligible American. And we will keep using every available tool at our disposal to guard against all forms of discrimination, to prevent voter disenfranchisement, and to secure the rights of every citizen.”
In the “statement of interest” filed today in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio in Columbus, the department says that Section 2 of the U.S. Voting Rights Act prohibits the state from imposing any voting qualification, prerequisite to voting, or any standard, practice or procedure that would result in the denial or abridgement of the right to vote on account of a person’s race, color or membership in a language minority group. The justice department says the state has incorrectly interpreted its requirements under the federal law.
Full Article: Justice Dept. joins suit challenging Ohio election rules | The Columbus Dispatch.