Prometheus 6

Contacts:

CommonCause.org - Susan Greenhalgh 917 796 8782
ColorofChange.org - Clarissa Goodlett 919 889 1011
People for the American Way - Laurie Boeder 202 467 4999

Civic Groups Praise House Investigation into Allegations of Partisan Voter Suppression at the Department of Justice

Judiciary Committee to Explore if GOP Voter Suppression Activities may be tied to Attorney Firings at DOJ

June 28, 2007, Washington D.C.- Public advocacy and civil rights groups praised the House Committee on the Judiciary’s intention to expand its investigation of the attorney firings at the Department of Justice and explore allegations of a partisan agenda to suppress minority votes. A staffer at the House Committee on the Judiciary confirmed a news account that said the Committee plans to investigate soon whether the Civil Rights Division took positions in support of a Republican agenda to suppress the votes of poor and elderly minorities, who tend to vote Democratic. The Committee expects to hold hearings after the July recess to probe these allegations.

"The evidence suggests there may have been a coordinated campaign to suppress the vote, directed from the highest levels of the Bush Administration," said Ralph G. Neas, president of People For the American Way. "Unconscionable efforts to keep eligible voters -- poor people, elderly people, students and minorities - away from the polls for partisan gain should be exposed. We applaud the efforts of Congress to shine a bright light on these shameful practices, and tell the voters the truth."

“Transparency is one of the best tools to hold our elected officials accountable,” said Bob Edgar, the president of Common Cause, which has called for impeachment proceedings against Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. “This entire episode is a blow to the integrity and credibility of our criminal justice system. A failure to fully investigate and disclose to the American people will only exacerbate the public cynicism and distrust many people already feel.”

“As the scandal at the Department of Justice unfolds, it’s become clear that Bush appointees in the Civil Rights Division turned the DOJ into an agency that undermines voting rights for partisan gain, instead of protecting voting rights,” said James Rucker, executive director of ColorOfChange.org. “This agenda to suppress the vote is an attack on the very core of our democracy. It’s essential that Congress use its oversight authority to reign in the Justice Department and restore equal access to the ballot.”