CWA: Supreme Court Decision is a Step Backward for Democracy

Washington, D.C. – The Communications Workers of America issued this statement on the Supreme Court’s decision on voting rights:

Today’s decision by the U.S. Supreme Court damages the Voting Rights Act and is a step backward for the right to vote in this country and for democracy.

The Court maintained that it didn’t invalidate the requirement that communities like Shelby County have changes to voting procedures pre-approved by the federal government. But by declaring the process used to determine which state and local governments must comply to be unconstitutional, the Court for now has eliminated the protections of the Voting Rights Act for millions of Americans.

It wasn’t in 1956 that the community of Calera, Ala., attempted to restrict the vote and the voice of its African-American citizens. It was just seven years ago, in 2006.

This example, and too many more like it, clearly demonstrates that the Voting Rights Act is needed today more than ever. Attempts to cut voting hours and polling places, limit early voting and restrict registration, especially targeting students, the elderly, people of color and the poor are all too pervasive in our nation today.

Unfortunately, the U.S. Supreme Court today is abandoning an important safeguard to the right to vote.

The Communications Workers of America will continue to work with the NAACP and other allies to protect the right to vote for all citizens. The Democracy Initiative that CWA, the NAACP and environmental groups has founded will work for universal registration, as most democracies already use, to ensure that citizens are not deprived of their voice and their vote.

Voter suppression in any form harms our democracy. CWA, the NAACP and other partners are determined to eliminate this and other barriers to democracy.

Contact: Candice Johnson, 202-434-1168, cjohnson@cwa-union.org