CASTRO STATEMENT ON SUPREME COURT VOTING RIGHTS ACT DECISION

San Antonio, TX– Texas Congressman Joaquin Castro [TX-20] released this statement following the Supreme Court’s decision to strike Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act:

 

"The courts have found intentional voter discrimination and suppression in Texas as recently as this past year.  Fortunately for Texans, Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act has been successfully used as a tool for the past 38 years to ensure that these anti-democracy efforts are not implemented. Today’s Supreme Court decision effectively allows these extreme laws to go into effect in places where voter suppression legislation is being pushed through state legislatures. This decision is a major setback for Texans and all Americans whose most fundamental voting rights are being trampled in right-wing state legislatures. In Texas, following today’s decision, the Attorney General is already calling on the most extreme voting ID laws to be implemented in our state.  I am committed to working with my colleagues in Congress to act swiftly to ensure that all Americans have the freedom to be full participants of our democracy by protecting every American’s right to vote."