Skip to main content

CONGRESSWOMAN SHEILA JACKSON LEE, JOINED BY HOUSE DEMOCRATS, CALLS UPON JUSTICE DEPARTMENT TO CONDUCT THOROUGH INVESTIGATION OF CREDIBLE ALLEGATIONS OF VOTER FRAUD IN ALL 50 STATES

January 25, 2017

Image
PRESS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Glenn Rushing

January 25, 2017 202-225-3816

Press Statement

Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, Joined By House Democrats, Calls Upon Justice Department to Conduct Thorough Investigation of Credible Allegations of Voter Fraud in All 50 States to Determine Whether Reported Outcomes Reflected Preferences of the American People For President of the United States

Jackson Lee: "Voter fraud is a threat to democratic governance because it threatens the ability of election results to reflect the preference of the people. Coming from the current President of the United States, these allegations of "widespread voter fraud" are serious and the Department of Justice should conduct a thorough and comprehensive investigation of voting irregularities and anomalies, which should include a full examination of voting machines and other voting devices, in all 50 states."

Washington, DC – Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, a senior member of the House Committees on the Judiciary and Homeland Security Committee and Ranking Member of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations, released the following statement today regarding the letter sent by her and Democratic colleagues Rep. Henry C. "Hank" Johnson (GA-04), Rep. Karen Bass (CA-37), and Rep. Gwen Moore (WI-04) to Acting U.S. Attorney General Sally Yates requesting the Department of Justice to conduct a thorough and comprehensive investigation of voting irregularities and anomalies, which should include a full examination of voting machines and other voting devices, in all 50 states:

"In recent days, President Trump, personally or through his spokespersons, has repeatedly, consistently, and confidently asserted that the 2016 presidential election was marked by "voter fraud." The president has not identified or produced any credible evidence to support the claim that he is the rightful winner of the popular vote which he lost to Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton by more than 2.8 million votes, the largest vote deficit in history.

"Coming from the current President of the United States, these allegations of ‘widespread voter fraud' are serious and should be taken seriously because, at bottom, what is now at stake is public confidence and certainty as to who really won the 2016 presidential election. For this reason, it is imperative that the Department of Justice conduct a thorough and comprehensive investigation of voting irregularities and anomalies, which should include a full examination of voting machines and other voting devices, in all 50 states.

"Voter fraud is a threat to democratic governance because it threatens the ability of the election results to reflect the preference of the people. This type of fraud, however, can manifest itself in two distinct ways: first, by counting votes cast by persons not eligible to cast them; and second, by actions designed to prevent, deter, and exclude eligible persons from casting their votes. To ensure public confidence, both of these types of ‘voter fraud' allegations must be investigated by the Department of Justice.

The November 8, 2016 election was the first presidential election held since the Supreme Court decided Shelby County v. Holder, which neutered the preclearance provisions of the Voting Rights Act, adversely affecting the ability of hundreds of thousands of persons to cast a ballot and have their vote counted because of numerous hindrances, including the curtailment of early voting, photo identification requirements, serendipitous changes to voting places, purging of voting rolls, and the use of outdated, obsolete, unreliable, and insecure voting machines disproportionately placed in underrepresented communities.

Every American has a vested interest in an electoral system that is fair, transparent, and reliable. That is why I believe that where the results in the Electoral College and of the popular vote diverge, as is the case this year, by the largest and most astounding margin in American history, it is particularly fitting, appropriate, and necessary for the Department of Justice to conduct a thorough investigation of all credible allegations of voter fraud in all 50 states to determine whether the reported outcomes reflected the preferences of the American people. The fate of our democracy is at stake."

###

Congresswoman Jackson Lee is a Democrat from Texas's 18th Congressional District. She is a senior member of the House Committees on Judiciary and Homeland Security and is Ranking Member of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations.