Preserving Access to the Ballot

Attorney General Holder Denounces Unnecessary Reductions in Ohio Early Voting

One of the Justice Department’s most solemn responsibilities is ensuring access to the ballot box for every eligible citizen. In recent years, however, some states have enacted troubling new measures that unnecessarily limit the ability of particular Americans to participate in the democratic process. Ohio, for example, has recently imposed restrictions that significantly reduce opportunities for early voting – opportunities that had in the past been heavily used by African-American voters. Today, Attorney General Eric Holder called on election officials and other public servants at every level across the country to consider their responsibilities not to political constituencies, but to the country they serve—and to ensure that engagement in the democratic process remains the responsibility, and the birthright, of every American.