Washington, DC – Today, Congresswoman Terri A. Sewell (AL-7) sent a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder requesting that the Department of Justice (DOJ) investigate potential voting rights infringements in Greene County in light of the March 31 raid of four bingo halls.

In her letter, Congresswoman Sewell renewed her appeal to DOJ requesting a reexamination of the potential voting rights violations citing that “the people of Greene County have been repeatedly targeted by the State in politically motivated raids in violation of their constitutional rights.”  Sewell argued that “the issue is that the citizens of Greene County in 2003 overwhelmingly voted in favor of state constitutional amendment 743 to authorize electronic bingo and through a series of Alabama Supreme Court cases the rights of the citizens of Greene County have been systematically nullified.”

Sewell issued the following statement in response to the March 31 raids of four bingo halls in Greene County:

“It is unfortunate that the State of Alabama continues to ignore state constitutional amendment 743 that was overwhelmingly passed in 2003 by the citizens of Greene County to allow the usage of electronic bingo.  It is equally disturbing that the type of machines and manner in which they are being used has not been found to be unlawful,” said Rep. Sewell. “The four Greene County bingo halls involved in raids have been a critical source of economic development and job creation for the 7^th Congressional District.  Greene County’s unemployment rate has decreased by more than 7.3 percent since 2010, the largest decrease seen in the 7^th District. The closing of these bingo halls serves as a tremendous threat to current and future employment resulting in the loss of more than 1,000 jobs county-wide.  This is why I renew my commitment to working with my constituents to urge the Justice Department to investigate potential voting rights infringements and to get the more than 1,000 people affected by these raids back to work.”

Below and attached is a copy of the letter dated April 4, 2014 sent by Congresswoman Sewell to Attorney General Eric Holder.

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Attorney General Holder:

In light of the recent March 31 raids of four bingo halls in Greene County, Alabama, I am writing to renew my appeal dated June 21, 2011 requesting that the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) investigate potential voting rights infringements carried out by the State of Alabama. As you will recall, the issue is that the citizens of Greene County in 2003 overwhelmingly voted in favor of state constitutional amendment 743 to authorize electronic bingo in the County. Through a series of Alabama Supreme Court cases the rights of the citizens of Greene County have been systematically nullified.  While the DOJ did not find cause to intervene after the June 2011 raids, I believe the recent raids warrant a reexamination by the Department of Justice.  The people of Greene County have been repeatedly targeted by the State in politically motivated raids in violation of their constitutional rights. 

On Monday, March 31, 2014, Alabama State Troopers under orders of Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange raided four bingo halls in Greene County, Alabama resulting in the loss of more than 1,000 jobs county-wide. Since the raids of two Greene County bingo halls in June 2011, owners of the facilities have been compliant with state law by purchasing and installing lawful bingo machines. As representative of Alabama’s 7^th Congressional District, I share the concerns of the citizens of Greene County that the raids are politically motivated and that the voting rights of the people of Greene County have been systematically ignored by the State of Alabama.

On behalf of the citizens of Greene County, Alabama, I am writing to renew my request that the US Department of Justice reexamine potential voting rights infringements in Greene County. Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter and I look forward to your response. Should you have any questions, please contact my office at 202.225.2665.

Sincerely,

Terri A. Sewell

Member of Congress