US Attorney General Vows to Combat Efforts to Curb Voting Rights

WASHINGTON - U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland warned Friday that the Justice Department would vigorously oppose state efforts to impose new curbs on voting rights for many Americans, particularly Blacks and other minorities.

“We’re scrutinizing new laws that seek to curb access, and where we see violations, we will not hesitate to act,” Garland said in a speech at the Justice Department in which he announced his agency would double its voting rights enforcement staff over the next 30 days. “We’re also scrutinizing current laws and practices in order to determine whether they discriminate against Black voters and other voters of color,” Garland said, adding that of particular concern is research showing that nonwhite voters wait “substantially longer” than their white counterparts to cast their ballots. Garland blasted recent Republican audits of repeatedly counted and certified votes cast in the November 2020 election, saying they jeopardize the integrity of the voting process and undermine public confidence in elections.