Posted December 14, 2007 by CLC Staff

Chorus Against von Spakovsky Continues to Grow

A growing list of organizations continues to weigh in against the nomination of Hans von Spakovsky to the Federal Election Commission (FEC) for his partisan abuse of his office while serving at the Department of Justice (DOJ). The controversy over the politicization of the Justice Department remains very much in the news as the Senate Judiciary Committee issued contempt citations yesterday against members of President Bush’s inner-circle for their refusal to testify or provide related documents. And just this morning, DOJ’s Voting Section chief John Tanner, who along with von Spakovsky approved a discriminatory voter ID measure in Georgia in 2005, resigned his position to assume other responsibilities at DOJ.

Civil rights organizations, their members, and members of Congress continue to pressure the Senate to reject von Spakovsky’s nomination. Recent opposition activities include an Action Alert from the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, letters from the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF), the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and an op-ed from Civil Rights hero John Lewis and other members of the Georgia congressional delegation.

Below are excerpts from these opposition pieces:

The Leadership Conference Action Alert, “Bush & McConnell: Stop Holding the FEC Hostage!”

“As Congress prepares to leave Washington for the holiday, President Bush and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) are preparing to hold hostage the Federal Election Commission (FEC). They are insisting on the all-or-none confirmation of four nominees, including Hans von Spakovsky, who has an egregious record of politicizing the U.S. Justice Department and rigging the system against minority voters.”

Letter from MALDEF to the full Senate:

“Of particular concern to MALDEF were actions Mr. von Spakovsky took in Texas and Arizona that harmed Latino voting rights.  In Arizona, Mr. von Spakovsky rushed through Voting Rights Act approval of a harsh and discriminatory Arizona voter ID and proof of citizenship law, even though career staff at the Justice Department had recommended that the Department seek more information to determine its impact on Latino voters.   As a result, MALDEF has had to shoulder the burden of going to court to block the discriminatory impact of this law, something it would not have had to do if the Department of Justice and Mr. von Spakovsky had used their authority under the Voting Rights Act to block the new law from taking effect.” 

The opinion piece by Reps. John Lewis, David Scott and Hank Johnson “For the dignity of our democracy:”

“Frederick Douglass once said, ‘Fealty to party has no claims against fidelity to truth.’ The truth is that Hans von Spakovsky has not met the standard for federal appointment. His record reveals downright contempt for the law and the voting rights of Americans he is supposed to defend. Who will defend the integrity of the federal appointment process? If not, us then who? If not now, then when? We appeal to our colleagues to take a stand for the dignity of our democracy and oppose the nomination of Hans von Spakovsky to the FEC.”

Letter from the NAACP to the full Senate:

“Overwhelmingly, the citizens kept from the polls by the decisions and policies furthered by Mr. von Spakovsky have been low income and racial or ethnic minority Americans.  Mr. von Spakovsky repeatedly chose to ignore and undermine the constitutional right of all citizens to vote and participate in the political process, and he did so in a manner that advanced the agenda of his own party.  Such behavior is completely unacceptable, particularly for a nominee seeking a position as fundamentally important to our democracy as overseeing our nation’s election laws.”