Civil Rights Division official vows enforcement of Voting Rights Act on 60th anniversary

A Civil Rights Division official said the Justice Department will continue enforcing the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and pursue jurisdictions that violate federal voting laws.

"Our constitutional duty is to protect the right to vote for all Americans," the official said, invoking the statute's 60th anniversary and framing enforcement as the division's current priority.

The official summarized what the Voting Rights Act accomplished, saying the landmark law "removed barriers to voting," outlawed poll taxes and literacy tests and "gave the federal government the tools to stop discriminatory barriers at the ballot box." The remarks framed the anniversary as an occasion for active enforcement rather than solely commemoration.

Speaking under the administration of President Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi, the official said the Civil Rights Division is investigating violations of federal voting laws, working to ensure all 50 states maintain clean voter rolls, and challenging efforts to suppress or dilute votes. The official said the division is also "attacking illegal race based gerrymandering."

As examples of ongoing actions, the official said the Justice Department has sued jurisdictions such as North Carolina for failing to register voters properly by first verifying eligibility, and has notified Texas of "grave concerns" about congressional districts drawn with racial motivations. The official added the department is suing other jurisdictions where there is evidence of ineligible voters on their voter rolls.

"Our job is to make it easier to vote and harder to cheat," the official said, and concluded the remarks with, "And that's my promise to you."