Washington, D.C. – Eric H. Holder, Jr., the 82nd Attorney General of the United States, released the following statement regarding the passage of the For the People Act in the House of Representatives:

“The House of Representatives has taken an important step today in passing the For the People Act – one of the most important pieces of civil rights legislation since 1965. We are in the midst of a poisonous attack on voting rights and democratic norms, and the necessary reforms in the For the People Act will put us back on the right track.

“The For the People Act will make our democracy stronger by outlawing partisan gerrymandering, cracking down on corruption, and protecting voting rights. Unfortunately, these reforms are needed now more than ever. Republican state legislators across the country are using baseless lies about last year’s election as the pretext to pass a whole new wave of voter suppression bills, the likes of which we have not seen since the Jim Crow Era. It’s clear Republicans do not believe they can win fair elections when everyone has an equal say, so they are committed to manipulating our political system and subverting our democracy for their own partisan advantage.

“I want to thank Speaker Pelosi and the Democratic leadership in the House for making democracy reform one of their top priorities. It’s time for the Senate to pass this legislation and send it to President Biden’s desk for his signature so that we can take power away from politicians and special interests and return it to the people — where it belongs.”

###