Joe Biden Cites ‘Race-Based Disparity’ After Supreme Court Upholds Arizona Ballot Harvesting Ban

President Joe Biden expressed his disappointment with the Supreme Court for upholding the legality of a ballot harvesting ban in Arizona.

“I am deeply disappointed in today’s decision by the United States Supreme Court that undercuts the Voting Rights Act,” Biden said.

The 6-3 Supreme Court decision was supported by Justices Samuel Alito, John Roberts, Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett. Justices Elena Kagan, Stephen Breyer, and Sonia Sotomayor dissented.

Biden cited Kagan’s dissent in the Supreme Court ruling, noting “a significant race-based disparity in voting opportunities” in her response.

The president complained that the conservative-led Supreme Court had done “severe damage” to voting rights in just eight years.

“After all we have been through to deliver the promise of this Nation to all Americans, we should be fully enforcing voting rights laws, not weakening them,” he said.

The Arizona law invalidates ballots cast in the wrong precinct and criminalizes ballot harvesting by third parties or political campaigns.

The 400-word statement from Biden released by the White House complained about Republican-led election security laws, calling it a “broad assault” on voting rights.

“It is no longer just about a fight over who gets to vote and making it easier for eligible voters to vote,” Biden said. “It is about who gets to count the vote and whether your vote counts at all.”

Biden called on all Americans to unite to support bills to federalize election, such as the Senate Democrat “For the People Act.”

“This is our life’s work and the work of all of us,” he wrote. “Democracy is on the line. We can do this together.”