June 25, 2013

Rep. Vargas Denounces Supreme Court Decision to Eliminate Voters’ Rights

Washington, DC (June 25, 2013) –Today, Congressman Juan Vargas (D-CA) condemned the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to declare the preclearance formula in Section 4 of the 1965 Voting Rights Act unconstitutional.  Vargas issued the following statement:

“Today’s decision by the Supreme Court to strike down the preclearance formula in Section 4 is a blow to the 1965 Voting Rights Act (VRA) and puts the votes of many citizens living in traditionally discriminatory areas at risk.  The VRA has been a vital tool in protecting voters’ rights and has given marginalized voters a voice.  Today’s decision has taken us back to a time when the color of a person’s skin, gender or language preference was enough to question their right to vote. 

“Sadly, the U.S. Supreme Court ignored thousands of pages of testimony and evidence that were reviewed by Congress in 2006 when they developed the current formula for the Voting Rights Act.  As a result, the Supreme Court has put countless voters at risk of being disenfranchised and has created the potential for eligible citizens to be denied the right to cast their ballot. 

“Now, it is up to Congress to act expeditiously to combat the persistent threat of discrimination that is still seen today.  We must ensure that our elections continue to be fair and transparent and provide our citizens with every voting protection necessary.  It is crucial that we protect the cornerstone of our democracy, the ability to elect our representatives at all levels of government.”

Vargas represents California’s 51st Congressional District which includes the southern portion of San Diego County, all of Imperial County and California’s entire U.S./Mexico border.  Vargas is currently serving his first term in Congress.  He represented the 40th California State Senate District from 2010-2012, the 79th California State Assembly District from 2000 – 2006 and served on the San Diego City Council from 1993 – 2000.