[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 103 (Monday, July 23, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1394]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  IT IS TIME FOR CONGRESS TO SPEAK UP

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                         HON. ALCEE L. HASTINGS

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, July 23, 2001

  Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, last week, the House of 
Representatives attempted to consider campaign finance reform. While 
the House ultimately decided not to consider the legislation because of 
a ridiculous rule, it is significant that campaign finance reform has 
come to the floor for a vote before election reform has even been 
debated. I was the first to point out that it does not matter how much 
money we spend on our campaigns, or for that matter, how much money we 
do not spend on our campaigns, if votes still do not count.
  It is clear to me that after last year's farce of an election, in 
which it was discovered that thousands of Americans nationwide had 
their right to vote stripped from them, Congress would have acted by 
now. But Congress has not acted.
  Congress remained silent when the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights 
released its findings that minority voters were more likely to have 
their votes thrown out than non-minority voters. Congress remained 
silent when thousands of voters testified to civil rights groups such 
as the NAACP, the National Council of La Raza, the ACLU, and this 
Committee, discussing the many problems they faced at the polls last 
November. Congress still remains silent, while Americans become more 
cynical by the day.
  The debate that needs to commence is not on how much money we spend 
on our campaigns. Instead, the debate should focus on how much money we 
are not spending on our elections. My home county, Broward County, may 
not purchase the best voting machines on the market because it cannot 
afford it. We need to be talking about how to get Broward County, and 
every other county in this country, the needed funds to improve their 
election systems.
  Mr. Speaker, contrary to what many argue, the need for election 
reform is much more than a civil rights issue. Rather, the need for 
election reform is a challenge to our democracy. It is a challenge that 
calls on us to reaffirm our commitment to the principles and ideals 
that our country's founding fathers died defending. It is a challenge 
that burns at the heart of every American who believes in our country's 
democratic heritage. It is a challenge that we cannot back down from, 
and it is a challenge that we will not back down from. Finally, it is a 
challenge that must be overcome before history repeats itself.

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