FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                          
January 4, 2018
Contact: Zerline Hughes zhughes@advancementproject.org

Pence-Kobach “Election Integrity” Commision Shuts Down

The Decision to Dissolve the Pence-Kobach Commision Reiterates What We Already Know: Voter Fraud is a Farce

WASHINGTON –Last night, the White House announced that the Pence-Kobach Commission is no more – a move that sends relief, yet inquiry as to what the administration’s next move will be to impact citizens’ fundamental right to vote.

Advancement Project has gone on the record stating that the Pence-Kobach Commission would rather misdirect the public and stoke fears about alleged criminality and illegality in communities of color than solve problems.

“While we applaud the end of this sham commission, we are cautiously optimistic. The formation of this commission was influenced by the administration’s xenophobic narrative that people of color have compromised the integrity of the election. The decision to dissolve the Pence-Kobach Commission reiterates what we already know: voter fraud is a farce. The true problem lies within states attempting to make it harder for people of color to vote,” said Judith Browne-Dianis, executive director of Advancement Project’s national office_.

“There is no denying that public opposition has exposed the commission as the sham that it was, we must remain vigilant. The goals of the commission – to malign voters of color and validate measures to make voting harder – remain a priority for this administration and we must particularly watch the efforts to shift its work to DHS, which has proven significantly problematic in the past,” said Denise Lieberman, co-program director of the Power and Democracy Program at Advancement Project’s national office.

“This effort led by voting rights advocates to end the election sham commission is a part of a large and continuous effort to end voter suppression. Advancement Project remains diligent in our efforts to protect the right to vote,” said Donita Judge, co-program director of the Power and Democracy Program at Advancement Project’s national office.

“Now is when coalitions must ban together to safeguard our elections and ensure that every eligible American can vote. Together, we can work with election leaders to improve the security and accuracy of our elections with automatic voter registration, mandatory audits and funding for new election equipment.”

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Advancement Project is a multi-racial civil rights organization. Founded by a team of veteran civil rights lawyers in 1999, Advancement Project was created to develop and inspire community-based solutions based on the same high-quality legal analysis and public education campaigns that produced the landmark civil rights victories of earlier eras.