Sept. 18 (UPI) — The NAACP and a group of civil rights organizations on Friday sued the Trump administration to prevent the government from stationing federal agents at polling stations in the upcoming elections.
The lawsuit accused the Department of Homeland Security and other agencies of “unlawful voter intimidation” in violation of the Voting Rights Act.
“The voter suppression tactics that led Congress to enact the Voting Rights Act are re-emerging in a modern form, this time by the federal government and targeting a broader set of voters,” lawyers wrote in the suit filed in Washington.
“Just as earlier generations of voters faced intimidation through threatened use of official powers, Plaintiffs today confront a climate in which armed law enforcement, allegations of widespread voter fraud, denaturalization efforts, and the rhetorical scapegoating of communities of color have created reasonable fears of participating in democracy and substantial burdens on the right to vote.”
The NAACP’s lawsuit joins efforts by the League of United Latin American Citizens and other groups, which also sued the government in Washington earlier this month over the issue.
Officials named as defendants include Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, FBI Director Kash Patel and David Venturella, acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
On Tuesday, Patel was asked by Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., to pledge that his agents would not interfere in the elections.
“I pledge unequivocally that I will not participate in your charade of lies,” Patel replied.
Justice Department spokesperson Kiersten Pels told The Washington Post that claims laid out in Friday’s lawsuit were “fearmongering.”
In the lawsuit, the organizations ask for a federal court to declare the government has violated the Voting Rights Act and to bar officials from “deploying agents in a manner that unlawfully intimidates voters or anyone urging or aiding voters.”
“Federal law expressly prohibits sending armed federal agents to voting locations,” lawyers for the organizations wrote. “Neither the Constitution nor federal law grants federal agencies any role in assessing or policing voter eligibility or regulating election administration in any way.
“Yet the Administration has repeatedly sought to interfere with election systems and announced its readiness to unlawfully deploy law enforcement to voting sites.”
“The result is predictable: voters across the country — particularly Black, Latino, and Asian voters, naturalized citizens, and members of mixed-status families — are afraid to vote, help others vote, and participate in civic life,” they added.
Source: U.S. News
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