Congresswoman Terri Sewell issued the following statement after the U.S. Department of Transportation announced it will investigate reduced services at driver license offices across the State of Alabama for potential discrimination against African American residents in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

“I welcome the U.S. Department of Transportation’s decision to investigate the impact of Alabama lawmakers’ decision to reduce services at 34 DMV offices – a decision that has a discriminatory effect on 8 out of the 10 counties in Alabama with the highest percentage of Black registered voters.  Alabama cannot balance the budget on the backs of those who can least afford it, nor infringe upon the civil rights of minorities by limiting access to the most popular form of identification used to vote.

“Reducing services at these DMV offices further compounds the discriminatory impact of Alabama’s pernicious photo ID law that excludes more than 250,000 Alabamians from the democratic process. The negative impact of the State of Alabama’s ill-conceived decision to eliminate and reduce DMV services proves that federal oversight is still necessary. 

“Unfortunately, Alabama has not yet fully learned the lessons of its painful past. It is still unlawful for state actions to result in a discriminatory effect on African Americans, irrespective of the intentions of such actions. When Alabama requires a photo ID to vote and then reduces access to the most popular form of identification because of budgetary reasons, that state decision is suspect, especially if the savings to the state are less than $100,000.  This narrative reinforces old stereotypes about Alabama and harkens us back to our Jim Crow past when federal intervention was required to enforce constitutionally protected rights. It saddens me that this is still a reality in my home state today but I am glad the Obama Administration recognizes the need to investigate the discriminatory impact of state action such as the DMV closures. I fully expect Alabama officials to comply with this investigation.”

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