Participatory democracy and civic engagement are bedrock American values. What we should be doing as a nation is working very hard to expand voter participation, and to bring everyone into our electoral system so that everyone has a voice. That’s what democracy is all about.

Expanding voter participation, and not suppressing it, is the way to live up to America’s most cherished ideals. So that’s why it is disturbing  to see concerted efforts in a number of states – driven by conservative governors and legislators – to make voting more difficult with a “round up the usual suspects” approach.

What is the justification for this? I don’t know and I don’t understand. The so-called evidence of the need for this assault on voting rights appears to be anecdotal–stories of mysterious buses appearing at the polling places and dropping off strange people who march inside en masse and cast ballots. These appear to have about as much credibility as Elvis sightings.

Download the entire press release below.