[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 501 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 501

    Expressing support for designation of the month of September as 
                   ``National Voting Rights Month''.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 5, 2017

 Mr. Veasey submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
  the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on 
House Administration, for a period to be subsequently determined by the 
  Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall 
           within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
    Expressing support for designation of the month of September as 
                   ``National Voting Rights Month''.

Whereas, from 1954-1968, African-Americans in the South suffered from the 
        oppressive effects of Jim Crow laws designed to prevent political, 
        economic, and social mobility;
Whereas African-Americans were subject to violence, poll taxes, literacy tests, 
        all White primaries, property ownership tests, grandfather clauses, 
        voter roll purges, and the prevention of former prisoners from voting;
Whereas in 1965, Congress passed the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to protect the 
        rights of African-Americans and other traditionally disenfranchised 
        groups to vote;
Whereas in 2013, the Supreme Court invalidated section four of the Voting Rights 
        Act, dismantling the pre-clearance provision in the law that protected 
        voters in States that historically have suppressed the rights of 
        minorities to vote;
Whereas, since the preclearance provisions of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 have 
        been vacated, many States have gerrymandered districts, 
        disproportionately affecting minority voting power;
Whereas these gerrymandered districts have been found to have a discriminatory 
        impact on traditionally disenfranchised minorities through tactics that 
        include ``cracking'', diluting their voting power across many districts, 
        and ``packing'', concentrating minority voters' power in one district to 
        reduce their voting power in other districts;
Whereas the courts have found the congressional and, in some cases, State 
        legislative district maps in Texas, North Carolina, Florida, and 
        Wisconsin to be gerrymandered districts that were created with the 
        intent of interfering with the constitutional right to vote;
Whereas the Shelby v. Holder Supreme Court decision calls on Congress to fix the 
        Voting Rights Act formula of 1965;
Whereas in 33 States some form of restrictive voting law has been instituted 
        since 2013;
Whereas these restrictive voting laws encompass cutbacks in early voting, voter 
        roll purges, placement of faulty equipment in minority communities, 
        requirement of photo identification--the procurement of which amounts to 
        a modern day poll tax, and elimination of same day registration;
Whereas more than 80 million minority, elderly, poor, and disabled voters could 
        be disenfranchised by these changes in voting;
Whereas in 2016 discriminatory laws in North Carolina, Wisconsin, North Dakota, 
        and Texas have been ruled unconstitutional and overturned by the courts;
Whereas there are local elected officials who refuse to adhere to Federal court 
        decisions that have struck down suppressive voting laws instituted since 
        the Supreme Court's Shelby vs. Holder case;
Whereas there is much more work to be done to ensure all Americans have the 
        right to vote;
Whereas National Voter Registration Day is September 26; and
Whereas the month of September would be an appropriate month to designate as 
        ``National Voting Rights Month'': Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) supports the designation of ``National Voting Rights 
        Month'';
            (2) encourages all people in the United States to uphold 
        the right of every American to exercise their sacred and 
        fundamental right to vote; and
            (3) endorses the following solutions to further the mission 
        of allowing all citizens to vote:
                    (A) Our Nation's public schools and universities 
                should develop an academic curriculum, whereby students 
                learn about the importance of voting, how to become 
                registered to vote, where to vote, and the different 
                forms of voting. This curriculum would include teaching 
                the history of voter suppression in America before the 
                1965 Civil Rights Act was passed. It would also teach 
                students about current issues that are related to laws 
                that have been passed to restrict the vote since 1965 
                or any actions taken by State and Federal Government 
                officials since passage of the 1965 Civil Rights Act 
                that have created barriers to being able to vote.
                    (B) The Department of the Treasury should issue a 
                special Fannie Lou Hamer stamp during the month of 
                September, to remind Americans about how ordinary 
                citizens risked their lives, marched, and participated 
                in our great democracy so all Americans would have the 
                fundamental right to vote.
                    (C) Congress should allocate the requisite funds 
                needed for public service announcements on television, 
                radio, newspapers, magazines, social media, bill 
                boards, buses, and other forms of media to remind 
                Americans when elections are being held, and to urge 
                people to get out and vote.
                    (D) Congress should pass legislation that will 
                allow all citizens upon reaching the age of 18, 
                determined by using birth records, to be automatically 
                enrolled to vote in Federal elections.
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