Holder: U.S. needs tough vote fraud laws

AUSTIN, Texas, Dec. 13 (UPI) -- U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said Tuesday the Justice Department will work with Senate Democrats on a bill to get tough on fraudulent voting practices.

In a speech at the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum in Austin, Texas, Holder said enforcing federal voting laws "is among the Justice Department's most important priorities." However, he said, a growing number of Americans have expressed concern that voting rights provided for under legislation signed by Johnson in 1965 are being eroded.

"In my travels across this country, I've heard a consistent drumbeat of concern from many Americans, who -- often for the first time in their lives -- now have reason to believe that we are failing to live up to one of our nation's most noble, and essential, ideals," he said.

Holder noted that the Justice Department is reviewing laws passed in more than dozen states this year, including laws in Texas and South Carolina establishing new photo identification card requirements, and changes in Florida law on third-party voter registration organizations and early voting.

He said a provision of the Voting Rights Act requiring 16 states to get advance clearance from the Justice Department for proposed changes in voting practices is the subject of at least five lawsuits claiming it is no longer necessary.

"I wish this were the case," he said. "The reality is that -- in jurisdictions across the country -- both overt and subtle forms of discrimination remain all too common."

Holder cited several instances in which redistricting plans would give unfair advantage to whites over blacks and Latinos, including plans in Louisiana and Texas.

"But the Justice Department can't do it all. Ensuring that every veteran, every senior, every college student, and every eligible citizen has the right to vote must become our common cause," he said.

Holder listed several examples of deceptive election practices, including "misinformation campaigns telling people that Election Day has been moved, or that only one adult per household can cast a ballot." He said Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md., plan to introduce a bill providing for "tough penalties for those who engage in fraudulent voting practices."

"I applaud their leadership -- and I look forward to working with them as Congress considers this important legislation."