(Washington, DC)- Today, House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI) and Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Subcommittee Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) sent a letter to former Ohio Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell, requesting his testimony at a hearing to address voter suppression efforts. The hearing will be held Friday, February 8, at 9:30 a.m. Text of the letter is below and attached.

 Letter to to former Ohio Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell:

January 29, 2008

Mr. Kenneth Blackwell
Family Research Council
801 G Street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20001

Dear Mr. Blackwell:

The Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties is planning to hold an oversight hearing on "Voter Suppression" on Friday, February 8, 2008, at 9:30 a.m. in Room 2141 of the Rayburn House Office Building. We are writing to invite you to testify at this hearing. The hearing will explore the current state of voting rights and the allocation of resources to end voter suppression and voter fraud.

There were a number of election irregularities in Ohio during the 2004 Presidential Election. Cumulatively, these irregularities, affected hundreds of thousand of voters. As we look forward to the 2008 Presidential Election, the Committee seeks to explore policies that should be implemented to avoid future voting problems and ensure that every American can exercise their right to vote.

Please contact Caroline Mays at (202) 225-2825 to inform the Committee of your availability. Thank you for your cooperation and assistance. We look forward to hearing from you soon.