The Democratic National Committee has filed a notice of appeal in an effort to extend the consent decree limiting the activities the RNC can engage in to target alleged voter fraud and challenge voters. Despite efforts by the Trump campaign and RNC to suppress the vote in 2016, the consent decree recently expired. The DNC is requesting the court allow additional discovery surrounding Republican poll watching activities in 2016. DNC Chair Tom Perez released the following statement on the DNC’s notice of appeal:

“The DNC is committed to defending our democracy from those that would use targeted voter suppression efforts to win elections, as the GOP has repeatedly done. Trump and the RNC have encouraged a false narrative on voter fraud that has resulted in increased GOP efforts to restrict access to the ballot. Continuing the court’s consent decree is an important part of ensuring voters’ most fundamental rights are protected, which is why we are appealing. The DNC is fully committed to protecting the right to vote and to guarding against any efforts to intimidate voters at the polls. That is why, in addition to appealing this decision, we are expanding our year-round voter protection efforts and training state parties on ways to expand their efforts, so we can ensure that every voter is able to vote.”