US Attorney General Merrick Garland delivered remarks on ‘Bloody Sunday’ at Tabernacle Baptist Church in Selma, Alabama.
Garland told the black churchgoers that voter ID requirements are “discriminatory” and that he’s fighting to stop oppressive laws.
“The right to vote is the cornerstone of our democracy, the right from which all others flow. It is a right that members of this community bled for,” Garland said to the churchgoers.
Garland insisted the “right to vote is still under attack.”
“And that is why the Justice Department is fighting back,” he said. “That is why, one of the first things I did as Attorney General was to double the number of lawyers in the Voting Section of the Civil Rights Division. ”
Garland said voter ID requirements and restrictions of ballot ‘drop boxes’ are “discriminatory, burdensome and unnecessary.”
“That is why we are challenging efforts by states and jurisdictions to implement discriminatory, burdensome, and unnecessary restrictions on access to the ballot, including those related to mail-in voting, the use of drop boxes, and voter ID requirements,” Garland said.
“That is why we are working to block the adoption of discriminatory redistricting plans that dilute the vote of Black voters and other voters of color,” he said.
WATCH:
Biden AG Merrick Garland, speaking at an Alabama church, says election integrity efforts — such as voter ID requirements and restrictions on ballot “drop boxes” — are “discriminatory, burdensome, and unnecessary.” pic.twitter.com/UExpO3nGbD
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) March 3, 2024
The overwhelming majority of blacks support voter ID requirements.
“Majorities of whites (74%), blacks (69%) and other minorities (82%) say voters should be required to show photo identification before being allowed to vote,” Rassmussen Reports found among 1,000 likely voters polled throughout the U.S.
"Should voters be required to show photo identification such as a driver’s license before being allowed to vote?"
1000 National Likely Voters – Yes
White – 74%
Black – 69%
Oth Non-White – 82%
All Voters – 75%75% Support Voter ID Laws https://t.co/NnqM90fgGi
— Rasmussen Reports (@Rasmussen_Poll) March 28, 2021