Staff Reports
In a recent speech, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland made some comments about interfering in state voting laws that have stirred up some Republican attorneys general. They’ve got their knickers in a twist over Mr. Garland’s suggestion that the Department of Justice might get involved in state voting laws. Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita and 15 other GOP prosecutors banded together to tell Mr. Garland that they were “concerned” about his comments.
These attorneys general think Mr. Garland’s talk of “unnecessary restrictions on access to the ballot” and his plans to beef up the civil rights division and launch an Election Threats Task Force mean he’s looking to stick his nose where it doesn’t belong. They say it’s the states’ job to handle their own elections, as laid out in the good ol’ U.S. Constitution.
Mr. Rokita and crew took issue with Mr. Garland’s statements about voter ID laws and restrictions on mail-in voting and drop boxes. They reckon these measures are necessary to prevent voter fraud, which they insist is “very real.” They also disagreed with Mr. Garland’s assertion that certain election security measures weaken the Voting Rights Act, arguing that common sense election laws actually make the electoral process stronger.
Mr. Rokita let Mr. Garland have it, saying his department’s actions seem like a direct attack on the states’ role in regulating elections. According to the attorneys general, Mr. Garland is more interested in boosting the Democratic party’s votes than in defending democratic principles.
It’s clear these GOP attorneys general are not fans of Mr. Garland’s plans for the DOJ to stick its nose in state voting laws. They’re standing firm in their belief that it’s the states, not the feds, who should have the say in how they run their elections.
