Case Has Broad Implications for Upcoming Elections

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: media@aclu.org

WASHINGTON – The American Civil Liberties Union and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People welcomed today’s decision by the United States Supreme Court to grant review in Crawford v. Marion County Election Board. The case challenges Indiana’s voter ID law, which is the most restrictive in the nation.

Plaintiffs include the Indianapolis branch of the NAACP as well as organizations representing the elderly, the homeless, and people with disabilities, along with two elected officials.

“There’s no right more important than the right to vote,” said Ken Falk, Legal Director of the ACLU of Indiana and lead counsel for the plaintiffs. “If recent history teaches us anything, it’s that each vote matters. We are hopeful that the Supreme Court will recognize this bedrock principle of our constitutional democracy.”

A federal court of appeals in Chicago upheld Indiana’s voter ID law by minimizing the right of every individual to vote without being subject to undue burdens imposed by the state. There is no evidence in this case that Indiana’s voter ID law is justified by any actual voting fraud problem.

The constitutionality of voter ID laws has broad national significance as we approach the 2008 elections. Restrictive voter ID laws have been adopted or are now being considered in states throughout the country.

“The right to vote is a fundamental element of our democracy.  Undue burdens should be removed wherever they arise, and all citizens should be encouraged to participate,” said Angela Ciccolo, NAACP Interim General Counsel.