WASHINGTON, DC — Yesterday, the Supreme Court ruled that voting ballots cast at the wrong precinct in Arizona must be wholly discarded and criminalized third-party collection of absentee ballots in the case of Brnovich v. the Democratic National Committee.
In a majority opinion written by Justice Samuel Alito, the conservative majority court said neither Arizona restriction violated the Voting Rights Act, as it enhanced the ability of states to defend themselves against Section 2 challenges.
In a reaction to the Supreme Court decision, David J. Johns, executive director of the National Black Justice Coalition, issued the following statement:
“Black people and people from other stigmatized and marginalized communities have fought and died for the right to vote for generations. Today we are still fighting for the opportunity to vote without discrimination or intimidation.
“The Supreme Court had an opportunity to protect our voting rights yesterday. Instead, a conservative majority allowed Arizona lawmakers to erect additional barriers that discriminate against voters based on where they live, while making it harder to challenge discriminatory voting laws with disparate impacts.
“Republican attacks on voting rights against marginalized communities are nothing new. That is exactly why Congress must pass bills like the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and For the People Act to safeguard this fundamental right in our Democracy. Both bills would implement national standards to prevent future attacks on the right to vote, so that everyone has the indisputable right to elect leaders of their own choosing. In the wake of a presidential administration hell bent on denying anyone who isn’t a Cisgender heterosexual non-disabled white man basic human rights, our preservation of democracy through equal participation in voting is more important than ever. We must continue to escalate this work and establish national standards that protect our freedom to vote, even if this means addressing the racist filibuster to enable Congress to do the job they have been elected to do.”
