WASHINGTON, DC (June 1, 2012) – Recent attempts to keep voters of color in Florida from fully exercising their constitutional right to vote suffered twin blows yesterday. National Urban League (www.nul.org) President and CEO Marc Morial hailed these victories as important steps in the larger war on voter rights.
Morial commended a decision by the Federal District Court in Miami granting a preliminary injunction effectively blocking key provisions of Florida’s new and restrictive voter registration laws.
“The Federal District Court in Miami did the right thing by putting a stop to these illegitimate and burdensome restrictions which had only one purpose—to suppress the vote of millions of Floridians,” he said. “This ruling is a victory for Floridians and for those of us on the front lines working to protect one of our most precious rights—the right to vote.”
The Urban League president also applauded the finding by the U.S. Department of Justice that Florida’s effort to purge its voter rolls of suspected non-citizens may violate Section 5 of the U.S. 1965 Voting Rights Act and the National Voter Registration Act 1993.
“This so-called purge is clearly designed to demoralize and disenfranchise people of color in this important election year.” Morial added, “Florida is a key battleground in the unprecedented war on voter rights underway across the country. The Urban League Movement, including our Florida affiliates—The Urban League of Greater Miami, Urban League of Broward County, Jacksonville Urban League, Central Florida Urban League, Tallahassee Urban League and Pinellas County Urban League—is on the ground and committed to work tirelessly to empower all voters to fully exercise their constitutional rights.”
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About the National Urban League
The National Urban League (www.nul.org) is a historic civil rights organization dedicated to economic empowerment in order to elevate the standard of living in historically underserved urban communities. Founded in 1910 and headquartered in New York City, the National Urban League spearheads the efforts of its local affiliates through the development of direct service programs; and through the public policy research and advocacy activities of the National Urban League Policy Institute in Washington, DC. Today, there are nearly 100 local Urban League affiliates in 36 states and the District of Columbia, providing direct services that impact and improve the lives of more than 2 million people nationwide.
CONTACT: Pamela Rucker Springs
pruckersprings@nul.org / (202) 629-5757
