FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, July 16, 2014
CONTACT: Jamie Serlin at 202-224-5042 

Senator Coons participates in roundtable on voting rights protections

Lower Sussex NAACP President joins senators for discussion on Voting Rights Act, ballot access

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) participated in a roundtable discussion with civil rights leaders in the Capitol on Wednesday focused on improving access to the ballot box and restoring critical Voting Rights Act protections struck down by the Supreme Court last year. Jane Hovington, President of the NAACP of Lower Sussex County, joined the senators to discuss the ongoing need for voter protections and voter empowerment in Delaware. 

“I think it’s important for all of us to be reminded how, in some ways embittering it is that on the 50th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act, there are jurisdictions all over the country  – not just at the state level, but at the county and municipal level – taking intentional legislative action to deny people the right to vote,” Senator Coons said. “Whether it’s because of racial discrimination or linguistic discrimination, whether it’s to win elections or simply to marginalize folks who don’t have the means to fight back, these recent restrictions are a striking reminder that this is a battle that’s far from over.” 

Senator Coons introduced legislation in January with Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Judiciary Subcommittee on Civil Rights Chairman Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) to modernize the Voting Rights Act and restore critical protections stripped by the Supreme Court’s decision in Shelby County v. Holder. The legislation — supported by a range of civil rights groups — would make states and jurisdictions that have committed voting rights violations in the last 15 years eligible for federal preclearance in order to protect citizens from discriminatory voting measures. States and jurisdictions that have had a clean record over the last 15 years would not be subject to preclearance. Read more here: http://1.usa.gov/19xy6TZ

At Wednesday’s meeting, Senator Coons and Lower Sussex County NAACP President Jane Hovington joined Democratic senators and civil rights leaders in calling for a bipartisan effort to move the bill forward.

“I’m proud to be an original cosponsor of the Voting Rights Amendment Act but I am deeply frustrated by the lack of engagement from my Republican colleagues in the Senate on this issue,” Senator Coons said. “The Republican Party played a historic role in the civil rights movement and yet they have completely walked away from efforts to address discriminatory voting measures that still exist today.”

Senator Coons has also introduced legislation to make voting faster and more accessible to all voters, following widespread difficulties reported in more than a dozen states during the 2012 election. The Fair, Accurate, Secure and Timely (FAST) Voting Act would create a competitive grant program to encourage states to aggressively pursue election reform. Read more about the bill here: http://1.usa.gov/1nKd2yh