BATON ROUGE – As Louisiana marks Voter Registration Week, the incumbent Secretary of State is likely hoping the public will ignore his own ugly record of voter purges over the years. At the behest of Gov. Bobby Jindal and the GOP special interests that have helped fund both their campaigns, Tom Schedler has worked at every turn to suppress minority voters, to dilute their impact and to silence their voices. Schedler’s voter purge efforts have made it harder for citizens to participate in the process, and continue to cost taxpayers time and money.
To date, Schedler’s voter purge schemes have cost Louisiana taxpayers over $1.3 million to cover the expense of lawsuits resulting from his failure to comply with the National Voting Rights Act. The bulk of that money has gone to pay high-priced attorneys who contributed to Schedler’s past campaigns. At a time when our state is reeling from the impact of a $1.6 billion deficit and struggling to even find funding for our presidential primary, Schedler’s mismanagement has put Louisiana families on the hook for his legal bills. This is not what leadership looks like.
“With Louisiana voters mobilizing to make their voices heard and get registered to vote in this fall’s election, it’s important to remember the career politicians who have made a practice of standing in their way,” said Sen. Karen Carter Peterson, chairwoman of the Louisiana Democratic Party. “Tom Schedler has gone out of his way to make it harder for the people of Louisiana to participate. But voters will have that top of mind when they go to elect our next Secretary of State this fall, and will certainly hold Schedler accountable.”
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