An organization under investigation for possible voter registration fraud in nine counties says it has asked the U.S. Department of Justice to look into whether Indiana officials have tried to suppress black votes.
Patriot Majority USA says its attorneys made the request Thursday to the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division.
The request came two days after Indiana State Police searched the Indianapolis offices of the group's Indiana Voter Registration Project as part of an expanded investigation into possible voter registration discrepancies.
Craig Varoga, president of Washington, D.C.-based Patriot Majority, says the raid was part of a "partisan effort" to suppress the voting rights of tens of thousands of African-Americans.
State police spokesman Capt. Dave Bursten says the Patriot Majority's request wasn't surprising and ISP's investigation has followed all proper procedures.