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By Ashley Killough and Evan Perez, CNN

updated 1:15 PM EDT, Mon October 6, 2014

Early voting is "about preserving access and openness for every eligible voter," AG Eric Holder says in a video message.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Washington (CNN) -- A week after the Supreme Court ruled in favor of an Ohio law that restricts early voting, Attorney General Eric Holder argued the decision will disproportionately affect African-Americans, many of whom "heavily" use early voting.

"It is a major step backward to allow these reductions to early voting to go into effect," Holder said in a video message posted Monday.

"Early voting is about much more than making it more convenient for people to exercise their civic responsibilities. It's about preserving access and openness for every eligible voter, not just those who can afford to miss work or who can afford to pay for childcare," he continued in the video, which was posted on the Justice Department's website.

The law cut down the state's 35-day early voting window by seven days.

Proponents say that reducing in-person early voting would help create uniformity across the state's counties, and voters would still be able to vote by mail during that seven-day window.

But critics argue the Republican-backed law will make it more difficult for minorities to vote.

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Holder on Supreme Court's early voting decision: A 'step backward'