The Committee on House Administration Tuesday held a hearing on “clean roles and secure elections”, and a Senate subcommittee on Thursday will hold a hearing on “DEI discrimination.” Following is a statement by Tianna Mays, legal director at Democracy Defenders Action, regarding the hearings.

“These hearings aren’t serious inquiries into election integrity or civil rights. They are part of a broader agenda to undermine public faith in our democracy and elections while also erasing our country’s complex history.

“The American people deserve leaders who represent them and work to strengthen democracy, but instead we are subject to daily doses of political theater intended to distract and divide us. The congressional hearings on voting rights and DEI initiatives deserve attention because they demonstrate how our elected officials have either lost focus or are willfully ignoring democratic principles. The House hearing on voter roll practices and Senate subcommittee hearing intend to manufacture voting crises where none exist, discredit diversity and inclusion efforts, and intentionally shift focus away from real issues that matter to people.

“Our elections are among the most secure and transparent in the world. This fact has been confirmed repeatedly by courts, independent reviews, and officials across the political spectrum. But some political actors continue to push the big lie about the 2020 election and invest in narratives meant to erode public trust in our elections and justify efforts to suppress the vote and entrench their power.

“Just last week, President Trump urged Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to redraw congressional maps, admitting that the intention is to pick up more Republican seats during the 2026 mid-term election. Partisan gerrymandering manipulates district lines to engineer election outcomes.

“At the same time, attacks on DEI are being deployed as a wedge to obscure the real reasons so many Americans are being left behind. Inclusive policies are a tool for ensuring that talent, opportunity, and access aren’t determined by race, gender, or background. Undoing that work is a concerted effort to keep power concentrated in the hands of a few.

“These hearings intend to distract from very real and ongoing efforts to silence dissent and turn public institutions into instruments of partisan control. But congressional committee chairs with anti-democratic agendas don’t have the final word. We know our democracy is strongest when every eligible person can vote freely, when our institutions reflect the full diversity and complexity of our people, and when we focus on solutions instead of scapegoats. We at Democracy Defenders Action will continue to stand with and defend voters, organizers, and advocates working every day to protect our democracy.”