WASHINGTON – The co-chairs of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights’ Voting Rights Task Force, Campaign Legal Center (CLC), and other organizations issued the following statement on the state of Louisiana’s decision to postpone its presidential primary, originally scheduled for April 4, until June 20:

“The current Coronavirus pandemic presents tremendous challenges to local authorities as they plan for upcoming primary elections — challenges that we are confident they can meet. We all agree that the safety and health of the public is paramount, but steps can and must be taken to protect voters and poll workers while also ensuring that the democratic process marches ahead.

“Sudden changes to election times, locations, and more have been proven to create barriers to, and in some instances the denial of, citizens’ right to vote. We are concerned about the impact of the decision of the state of Louisiana to move the date of its primary elections. We applaud the approach taken by election officials in Ohio, Arizona, Florida, and Illinois to hold their primary elections on March 17, with proper public health safety measures in place.

“The November election is quickly approaching, and it is imperative that the federal government provide the necessary funding and guidance for states to prepare and ensure there are no barriers to the ballot due to COVID-19. All states should have contingency plans in place for additional voting options for the general election that will be held on November 3. Under no circumstances should the November general election be canceled or postponed, as that date is mandated by federal law. Our democracy and our elections have endured in other times of crisis, and we shall again.”

RICHMOND, VA – Today, the Virginia House of Delegates passed legislation to amend the state’s constitution to reform how new congressional and legislative election maps are drawn, limiting the ability of lawmakers to redraw maps for their own political advantage. It will now go before voters on the November General Election ballot.

Paul Smith, Vice President of Campaign Legal Center (CLC), released the following statement:

“Virginia has long been plagued by gerrymandering. By passing a constitutional amendment to create the Virginia Redistricting Commission, lawmakers are signaling that the state is ready to turn the page on the last decade’s gerrymandering wars – and embrace a redistricting process that works for voters, not politicians. Legislators seized on the public’s desire for reform and proved that bipartisan long-term solutions are possible when principles are placed over partisanship. Our efforts do not end here. Advocates for fair maps must be sure to educate Virginia voters about the benefits of fair maps between now and November when the amendment will be on the ballot.”

Background:

On Friday, Campaign Legal Center (CLC) sent a letter to the leadership in the Virginia House of Delegates on behalf of a coalition of 11 nonpartisan groups who advocate for a better democracy. The letter urged state lawmakers to pass the amendment with strong enabling legislation.

Public support for ending gerrymandering:

Voters nationwide overwhelmingly support redistricting reform. A 2019 national poll commissioned by CLC found strong opposition to gerrymandering with broad, bipartisan support for the creation of independent redistricting commissions. In fact, 65% of voters surveyed would prefer congressional districts with no partisan bias, even if it meant fewer seats for their own party.

Virginians are in line with this national trend. A December 2019 survey shows that Virginia voters strongly support the second passage of the redistricting reform constitutional amendment, by a 70%-15% margin.

Senate Republicans announced they will hold a confirmation hearing next week for Federal Election Commission (FEC) nominee James “Trey” Trainor.

Campaign Legal Center (CLC) President Trevor Potter, a former Republican Commissioner and Chair of the Federal Election Commission (FEC), released the following statement:

“Trey Trainor’s nomination as a commissioner on the Federal Election Commission (FEC) is yet another example of how the current nomination process continues to produce commissioners who are opposed to the mission of the agency – resulting in an explosion in secret spending, and our politics increasingly rigged in favor of special interests. For the FEC to do its job to protect the voices of all voters, not just special interests, the agency and the nomination process must be reformed.

The FEC is the only government agency solely responsible for enforcing the laws that govern the federal campaign finance system. In recent years, opponents of campaign finance laws have pushed for the nomination of commissioners who, like Trainor, have a record of being opposed to the laws the agency enforces. As a result, the FEC has routinely failed to enforce the laws designed to hold candidates and their donors accountable.

Trainor’s nomination promises to perpetuate this dysfunction. For example, upholding transparency laws is a key part of the FEC’s mission, but Trainor has questioned the value of disclosing political donors, and falsely claimed the Supreme Court endorsed secret political spending when it has done precisely the opposite.

To reduce political corruption, we need a stronger FEC to enforce campaign finance laws and hold political candidates and their donors accountable. Congress has the power to restructure the FEC and the nomination process to safeguard the agency against divides that have produced an agency that fails to do its job to enforce campaign finance laws and protect the voices of voters.”

CLC Senior Director and Chief of Staff Adav Noti, former Associate General Counsel of the FEC, stated:

“A commissioner who opposes the FEC’s mission can bring the entire agency to a halt. Trainor’s record shows that he would block the FEC’s nonpartisan investigators and attorneys from doing their jobs. Congress must restructure the FEC to prevent obstruction by individual commissioners, but until then, to place an anti-transparency activist such as Trainor on the FEC would be to place the fox firmly in charge of the chicken coop.”