June 11, 2021
8:11 PM EDT

U.S. attorney general vows to aggressively defend voting rights

Andy Sullivan, Jan Wolfe
3 minute read

U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said on Friday his Justice Department will aggressively enforce voting rights at a time when many Republican-led states are tightening election laws and supporters of former President Donald Trump continue to baselessly question his 2020 defeat.

Garland said the Justice Department will prosecute threats against election officials, double the number of prosecutors devoted to voting rights and closely examine how states conduct their elections.

He said the Justice Department will scrutinize areas where Black voters have to wait in line longer than white voters to cast their ballots, a lingering problem in presidential election battleground states such as Georgia.

"There are many things that are open to debate in America but the right of all eligible citizens to vote is not one of them," Garland said in a speech at the Justice Department.

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