FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2005 WWW.USDOJ.GOV CRT (202) 514-2007 TDD (202) 514-1888 WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Justice Department announced today that it has filed a lawsuit against the State of Missouri and the Missouri Secretary of State for violations of the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA).
The complaint, which was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri, alleges that the state has failed to meet its legal responsibilities to conduct a general program to maintain its voter registration list for federal elections as required under Section 8 of the NVRA. It alleges that, in some parts of Missouri, voters have been removed from registration lists without notification in direct violation of mandatory NVRA procedural protections,and that,in other areas, ineligible voters have not been removed from registration lists. The complaint further alleges that the states failure to comply with the voter registration list maintenance provisions of the NVRA has resulted in registration lists that provide inaccurate voting information, including one county where the number of registered voters is over 150% of its voting age population.
The National Voter Registration Act requires that states protect the rights of all voters by notifying them before removal from a voter registration list. It also requires states to remove ineligible voters, said Wan J. Kim, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division. With this lawsuit, the Department of Justice will ensure that all Missouri voters are able to go to the polls and cast ballots in free and fair elections. To file complaints about discriminatory voting practices, voters may call the Voting Section of the Justice Departments Civil Rights Division at 1-800-253-3931. More information about the National Voter Registration Act and other federal voting laws is available on the Department of Justice website at www.usdoj.gov/crt/voting/index.htm. 05-627
Source: US Department of Justice
