Focus Should be Placed on Making Voting More Convenient, Not Putting up Barriers 
 
Washington, DC – Last night, Attorney General Eric Holder gave a speech at the presidential library of Lyndon B. Johnson in Austin, TX to “call on our political parties to resist the temptation to suppress certain votes in the hope of attaining electoral success and, instead, achieve success by appealing to more voters.” His remarks also called for legislation that will increase participation through election reforms, including automatic registration of all eligible voters. Fair Elections Legal Network’s President, Robert Brandon, released the following statement regarding Holder’s speech:
 
“The Fair Election Legal Network applauds Attorney General Eric Holder for speaking out against the tactics that have been employed over the past year to suppress the vote of many Americans in pursuit of success at the ballot box. These efforts have included reducing the period of time for voters to cast ballots before Election Day, ending same day registration, making it harder for groups to register others in their community, and requiring photo identification that many seniors, minorities, low-income workers and young people do not have or cannot afford.
 
These tactics do not preserve the integrity of our elections. Instead, they threaten the legitimacy of our elections by leaving many out of the process. As Holder points out, these laws ignore the real problems facing our election system – deceptive practices and intimidation of voters and an antiquated system that needs to be brought into the 21st century.
 
We urge Congress to move forward with Holder’s call to pass legislation, such as the Deceptive Practices and Voter Intimidation Prevention Act and the portability of a voter’s registration, to modernize our elections. These reforms will ensure our elections are safe, secure, and accurate and allow all Americans to participate in our democracy.”