Washington, D.C. – Today, Eric H. Holder, Jr., the 82nd Attorney General of the United States and Chairman of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee (NDRC), released the following statement in response to the results of the Ohio special election: 

“Ohioans have sent a clear message at the ballot box: they wholly reject attempts to weaken democracy and they want to protect their rights when politicians elected on gerrymandered maps refuse to do so. Make no mistake, the state of democracy in Ohio is far from perfect, and the fight for a truly representative democracy will continue for a long time to come. But today, we celebrate that, thanks to the tenacity of the people, yet another lawless attempt to weaken democracy in Ohio has been defeated. 

“It should not be lost on the public that Republicans went out of their way to minimize voter turnout in this election: from scheduling the vote in the heat of August of an off-year to misleading voters with incorrect voting information.  In the face of these outrageous obstacles, the people remained engaged and focused.

“The result continues a pattern we have seen across the country, from the 2022 midterms to the spring election in Wisconsin and now, the August election in Ohio: when democracy is on the ballot, the people of this nation rise to the occasion and participate in order to protect it.

“The people used their power—and they prevailed.”

ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND: 

Leading up to the August special election, under the leadership of Attorney General Holder, NDRC and its affiliates actively supported the Vote No In August Campaign. All On The Line, the NDRC’s 501(c)(4) affiliate, endorsed the campaign immediately after it was launched. Attorney General Holder rallied with supporters and volunteers to support get out the vote efforts. Additionally, NDRC’s affiliates helped get out the vote leading up to the election by reaching out to hundreds of thousands of Ohioans. 

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