Hoyer Statement on the Closing of Driver's License Offices in Alabama

WASHINGTON, DC – House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer (MD) released the following statement today on Alabama state officials' announcement that 31 satellite driver’s license offices will close:

“I find Alabama’s decision to close thirty-one satellite offices where residents can obtain a driver’s license deeply disturbing in light of that state’s 2011 law requiring every voter to present a state-issued photo identification to prove eligibility to cast a ballot.  It is even more unsettling that many of the offices being closed serve predominantly African-American communities, which already have lower rates of residents possessing the type of photo identification, like driver’s licenses, now required to vote in Alabama.  Every eligible voter must be allowed to cast his or her ballot unhindered by burdensome rules that seem designed to deter participation in our democracy. 

“The Voting Rights Act was born from the bloody actions in Selma, Alabama, in March 1965, and since the Supreme Court struck down one of its most important protections – the federal Justice Department’s ability to prevent discriminatory rules like Alabama’s photo identification requirement – our democracy has been weakened.  I will continue to work with Alabama Rep. Terri Sewell, Civil Rights hero Rep. John Lewis, Judiciary Ranking Member John Conyers, and others to push for legislation that restores the full power of the Voting Rights Act.  I join in calling on Alabama to reverse its decision to close these licensing offices and repeal its 2011 law, which together greatly undermine fair access to the ballot box by African-American voters throughout the state.”