[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 85 (Monday, May 22, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Page S7119]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


            SECOND ANNIVERSARY OF THE SIGNING OF MOTOR-VOTER

  Mr. FORD. Mr. President, last month, one of my State papers, the 
Lexington Herald-Leader, ran a story about why people don't vote. One 
of the top reasons people cited for not voting, was because they always 
forget to register.
  Thirty-one-year-old Tracey Adkins told the paper that ``My husband's 
a preacher, and we move a lot from town to town. It's hard when you 
move a lot. It's inconvenient.'' She couldn't remember the last time 
she was registered, but said she would ``definitely register the next 
time she renewed her driver's license through the motor-voter law.''
  Tomorrow marks the second anniversary of the President signing this 
bill into law, and the culmination of years of work. But more 
importantly, it's another milestone in this country's long history of 
working to assure all American citizens have the ability to exercise 
their right to vote.
  From women's suffrage in 1920 to the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to 
extending the right to vote to 18 year-olds in 1971 to removing 
physical barriers for the elderly and disabled in 1984, Congress 
recognized that the right to vote is perhaps the clearest expression of 
democracy at work.
  When Tracey Adkins goes to renew her driver's license she'll join 
tens of thousands of other Kentuckians who took advantage of the new 
system--tens of thousands of other Kentuckians who now have no 
obstacles between their opinion and their Government.
  In Kentucky, voter registration has skyrocketed to record levels, 
gaining 76,550 new voters since January 1. And it's estimated that 
motor-voter is responsible for two-thirds of those new potential 
voters. In the first quarter of this year, over 2 million Americans 
nationwide registered to vote under the new law. At this rate 20 
million will be registered by the next Presidential election.
  Not only are we experiencing the largest voter registration increase 
in our country's history, but as Becky Cain, president of the League of 
Women Voters said, ``The 1996 electorate will be larger, more diverse 
and more reflective of the American people.''
  And, nearly 10 years of opposition to this legislation has proven to 
be completely unfounded, from arguments about the high cost of 
implementation to the fear that somehow Democrats would benefit more 
than Republicans. Statistics show that new registrations in Kentucky 
are almost evenly divided between Republicans, Democrats, and 
Independents.
  Barbara Jorden once said that the ``stakes are too high for 
Government to be a spectator sport.'' As more and more Americans found 
themselves in the bleachers simply watching the political game, they 
were encountering a Government that knew little about their problems, 
and even less about the way the average citizen might want to see those 
problems solved.
  But motor-voter sent a clear message to these disenchanted Americans 
that Government belongs to them, its future guided by their individual 
vote. Because, it is only through their participation that the 
democratic process can work effectively, efficiently, and equitably.
  So, as we celebrate this second anniversary, we do so knowing that 
with each new registered voter, this Nation becomes a little stronger, 
our course a little steadier, our future a little brighter.


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