[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 91 (Tuesday, July 9, 2002)]
[House]
[Pages H4387-H4392]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
MOTION TO INSTRUCT CONFEREES ON H.R. 3295, HELP AMERICA VOTE ACT OF
2001
Mr. LANGEVIN. Mr. Speaker, I offer a motion to instruct conferees on
H.R. 3295.
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The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Clerk will report the motion.
The Clerk read as follows:
Mr. Langevin moves that the managers on the part of the
House at the conference on the disagreeing votes of the two
Houses on the Senate amendments to the bill H.R. 3295 be
instructed to recede from disagreement with the provisions
contained in subparagraphs (A) and (B) of section 101(a)(3)
of the Senate amendment to the House bill (relating to the
accessibility of voting systems for individuals with
disabilities).
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Rhode Island (Mr. Langevin) and the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Ney) will
each be recognized for 30 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr. Langevin).
Mr. LANGEVIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, today I offer this motion to instruct on H.R. 3295, the
Help America Vote Act of 2001, in order to raise awareness of a
significant shortcoming in our Nation's elections: the
disenfranchisement of disabled voters due to inaccessible voting
equipment.
I wish to first dedicate this motion to the memory of my good friend,
Justin Dart, Jr., one of the strongest voices for the disabled
community, who died June 22 at the age of 71. Justin, often called the
Father of the Americans with Disabilities Act, leaves a great legacy of
activism and inspires us all with his vision of an America in which
every person can reach his or her full potential and actively
contribute to society. Millions of people's lives have been improved by
his good deeds, and it is in his honor that I offer this motion today.
I first want to thank my good friend, the gentleman from Ohio (Mr.
Ney), for his inclusive and bipartisan efforts to improve our Nation's
elections, and for being so receptive to the needs of disabled voters.
We owe him a debt of gratitude.
I also owe a great deal of gratitude to the gentleman from Maryland
(Mr. Hoyer) and the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Conyers) for their
support of this motion and for their lifelong commitment to civil
rights. We would not be where we are today without them.
Finally, I thank my friend and colleague, the gentleman from
Minnesota (Mr. Ramstad), for his advocacy of the rights of the disabled
and for joining us today in this effort to ensure that people with
disabilities have full access to voting.
Mr. Speaker, the low voting participation rate among the disabled is
a pervasive and well-documented problem. Yet the Nation has made little
progress in addressing its causes. The inaccessibility of polling
places and election equipment is one of the major factors in this
unfortunate phenomenon. Shockingly, the General Accounting Office found
that 84 percent of our Nation's polling places were inaccessible to the
physically disabled in 2000. Blind voters often cannot cast a vote
without assistance, the visually impaired may not be able to decipher
small print or confusing ballots, and people in wheelchairs may have
difficulty maneuvering in older voting booths.
Just as a personal story to lend passion to this argument, it was
only just a few short years ago that I myself never knew the privilege
of voting independently, in privacy, in a voting booth. Rhode Island
had the oldest voting machines in the country, lever machines, in which
I would have to go in and could not possibly reach the levers myself; I
would always have to take someone in. Though I was grateful for the
assistance, it certainly deprived me of the right to a secret and
independent vote. Many others know the same story.
As a result of these problems, only 41 percent of people with
disabilities voted in November of 2000, in the November of 2000
elections, far below the national average. With nearly one in five
Americans having some level of disability, and approximately 35 million
Americans over the age of 65, we must act now to ensure that our voting
system is accessible to all Americans.
Improving access to voting has been an overarching goal of my work in
public service. As Secretary of State of Rhode Island, I was the chief
architect of a plan to upgrade the State's voting system and equipment.
The replacement of outdated lever machines with electronic equipment
and Braille and tactile ballots helped increase voter turnout and
significantly reduced chances of error.
The entire upgrade was statewide and cost effective, and Rhode Island
is now widely recognized as having one of the most modern and
accessible voting systems in the United States.
In Congress, I have continued to emphasize the importance of voting
access. In March 2001, I joined former Secretaries of State in Congress
in hosting a voting technology demonstration in which we highlighted
accessible election equipment. Not only did this event illustrate the
many types of affordable and accessible equipment, it also offered
several people with disabilities the opportunity to use a voting
machine for the very first time in their lives. The technology exists
to address the disenfranchisement of disabled voters, and Congress must
encourage its use.
For this reason, I am pleased to offer this motion to instruct in
support of the Senate's accessible voting equipment provisions. The
Senate's version of H.R. 3295 requires voting systems used in Federal
elections to be accessible for individuals with disabilities, including
the blind and visually impaired, in a manner that provides privacy and
independence.
The Senate's language also requires that each polling place have at
least one voting system equipped for individuals with disabilities.
Guaranteeing voting equipment in all polling places is one of the
disability community's top priorities in election reform, and I am
pleased to announce that this motion to instruct has been endorsed by
26 disability advocacy groups.
One major component of election reform must be to provide the
greatest possible access to voting for all eligible citizens, and the
Senate's accessibility language is a major step toward this noble goal.
I urge my colleagues to support this motion to instruct so that all
Americans can exercise their fundamental right to participate in our
democracy by guaranteeing them the right to vote.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I just wanted to say today that I agree with the
gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr. Langevin) that we need to take steps
to improve access for the disabled to our Nation's election systems.
The gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer), our ranking member and a
partner on this bill, and I worked closely with our colleague, the
gentleman from Rhode Island, during the drafting of this bill, the Help
America Vote Act.
I am grateful for his input and support during that process, so I
want to thank the gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr. Langevin) for all
his hard work and efforts on this piece of legislation before us.
The bill we passed in the House by an overwhelming margin last
December included a number of provisions to improve access for persons
who have a form of disability and authorize funds to help make those
improvements happen. I was pleased to receive the endorsement of the
National Federation of the Blind for our bill, the bill that the
gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr. Langevin) and the gentleman from
Maryland (Mr. Hoyer) and many other Members on both sides of the aisle,
the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Blunt) and others, supported; and we
had that endorsement for the bill, and we were very, very appreciative
of that.
Just yesterday I was honored to address the National Federation of
the Blind's convention in Louisville on precisely this topic. There is
no question that no matter what the form of disability, in this case it
was a convention of the National Federation of the Blind, people have a
right to vote in secrecy and in privacy. In this case, secrecy is not a
bad word; secrecy is something people have a right to do with their
ballots, and should have the right to do.
As the work on this bill continues in the conference committee, Mr.
Speaker, I am confident we are going to produce a final product. It
will be a final product that makes great strides in improving access to
the voting process for the citizens in this country.
While I will support the gentleman's motion, and I do fully support
it, and I appreciate the gentleman's work on
[[Page H4389]]
this, I want to make just a couple of points.
First, I do say that it is my belief that this Congress should
provide funding that will enable States to meet the requirements it
imposes. That is not only for this issue. It is for other issues,
provisional voting, central database, all the other good provisions
that are contained within this bill and many good provisions, frankly,
that are also in the Senate bill.
But I always like to mention the monetary side to this, too, because
far too often we here in Congress like to enact requirements and pat
ourselves on the back for all the good we have done while sending the
bill to someone else. Now, I say that because I am a creature of the
Ohio legislature and the Ohio House and Senate, so it used to be my
course of business to complain about Washington, D.C. sending down
mandates or something of that nature and then not providing the money.
Now, the bill we crafted together has minimum requirements; but they
are requirements enforced by Justice, and good requirements are going
to ensure that an illegal vote does not cancel out a true vote. People
have the right to vote, and we back all of those provisions.
I want to make sure that we always stress that if we are going to
impose any requirements on the States, we should provide funds to make
it possible for those requirements to be met. My support for this
motion and all the language, frankly, contained in the House bill and
in the Senate bill dealing with any provision, as I mentioned before,
provisional voting, central database, is always going to be conditioned
on the fact that we have to have the money.
I know that my colleague, the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer),
agrees with that. We have to continue through this whole process. As we
get the language that makes this bill a great bill to send to the
President, we have to continue to push also for the money so locals
have some help in implementing. Otherwise, it is not going to be
implemented in the way that we need it done.
{time} 1515
Second, in keeping with the requirements of the Americans with
Disabilities Act, I think we should be requiring States to make also
reasonable accommodations. One thing we need to talk about down the
road here too in the next couple of weeks are certain rural areas where
we want to make sure that if provisions are adopted that we in fact do
not shut people out of voting. Because sometimes the rural areas, and
we have used this in the Committee on Energy and Commerce many times as
we have talked, in rural areas there are places where people vote, for
example, and if you try to move them to another area you would have to
involve buses to take people to other places to vote. In my district,
for example, we have very few taxis or public bus systems. So looking
at the rural area, still protecting people's rights is going to be
something I know that we can talk definitely about.
Again, let me make it clear that I expect when this conference is
completed, and I expect this conference to be completed hopefully very
soon, the changes that will ensue will improve access for the disabled
community and ensure, I will use the word ``ensure,'' that blind voters
are able to vote privately and independently.
One other point I want to add about the technology, too. I know there
are certain companies that have actually publicly stated that they can
equip every machine, and I hope that as this bill progresses and people
are buying machines across this country to update and put integrity
into the voting process, that the machines are equipped; the hope is
the technology comes through and that en masse machines are equipped.
I look forward to working with the gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr.
Langevin) and my friend from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer), who I mentioned
earlier, to secure the adequate funding but also to enact a conference
report that absolutely improves access for the disabled community
across the United States.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. LANGEVIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, again, I thank the chairman for his help and support on
this issue. We would not be here on the election reform without his
diligent leadership, and I thank the gentleman.
Earlier in my statement, Mr. Speaker, I acknowledged and expressed my
gratitude to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer), my distinguished
colleague, who is, as many know, the author of the Americans with
Disabilities Act and who has been a great champion of people with
disabilities and their rights.
Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from
Maryland (Mr. Hoyer).
Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr.
Langevin), and I thank him for his leadership on this issue and so many
others. He has been extraordinarily helpful in getting the election
reform legislation to the place it is now. I think this motion he now
makes, and it is supported by both the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Ney)
and myself, is an important one; and I want to thank him for that.
Mr. Speaker, in the 20 months since our last national election, the
American people have seen the very best and very worst that democracy
has to offer. The disenfranchisement of millions of Americans who fell
prey to unreliable, outdated voting machines as well as the wide
bipartisan support in the Congress for the Federal election reform will
hopefully change that.
Members on both sides of the aisle have spoken eloquently and
sincerely about safeguarding our most cherished democratic right: the
right to vote and to have one's vote counted.
Yet our work is not done, for who among us would accept election
reform that fails to ensure the privacy and independence of millions of
eligible voters at the ballot box? None of us, I would argue, because
the right to exercise the franchise under conditions that afford
privacy and independence is intimately American and bound up in what it
means to be a free and equal citizen in a democratic society. Yet in
thousands of polling places across the country, voters who are
physically, visually, or mentally challenged enjoy less privacy and
independence when they exercise their sacred right to vote than do
other voters.
That is why I urge all Members to support this important motion to
instruct offered by our colleague, the gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr.
Langevin). It is fair and it makes sense. It recognizes, as most of us
do, that the election reform conference report should combine the best
of the House-passed Help America Vote Act with the Senate-passed bill.
To that end, the gentleman from Rhode Island's motion instructs the
House conferees to agree to section 101(A)(3) of the Senate amendment
to the House bill.
This section states that by January 2007 voting systems shall be
accessible for individuals with disabilities, including nonvisual
accessibility for the blind and visually impaired, in a manner that
provides the same opportunity for access and participation, including
privacy and independence, as for other voters.
Make no mistake about it, I am proud of the Help America Vote Act. I
am proud of the work that the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Ney) and I and
so many others, including the gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr.
Langevin) and the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson)
and others, helped us achieve. But we have not finished the job yet,
Mr. Speaker; and we need to do that.
We need to pass this motion and then hopefully the conference will
become even more energized than it has been. We are late, not too late,
but we are late in passing a conference report that incorporates, as I
said, the best of the House bill and the best of the Senate bill. We
need to pass election reform. We need to pass it in the next 3 weeks if
at all possible. We need to tell the States the resources they will
have available to make their machines not only accessible but accurate
as they count every American's vote.
Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support this very, very
important motion to instruct.
Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished
gentlewoman from Maryland (Mrs. Morella).
[[Page H4390]]
Mrs. MORELLA. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me
time.
Mr. Speaker, I just rise in very strong support of the motion offered
by our colleague from Rhode Island, who is one of four co-chairs with
me on the Disabilities Caucus. And it is so important that we do
instruct the conferees to accept the Senate version, which would
require that we have one voting machine in every polling place, at
least, that is accessible to people with disabilities.
As a matter of fact, on July 26 of this year, we will celebrate the
12th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. I was one of
the co-sponsors of that act, as were many of Members who are here
serving in this 107th Congress. Certainly, the concept of Americans
with Disabilities is one where we would allow them indeed the most
precious privilege that we have as Americans, the right to vote and to
make it accessible. So I thank the gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr.
Langevin).
I know this body will assuredly unanimously support this motion to
instruct the conferees on this election reform bill.
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Ney) for
the leadership he has shown in bringing us together in terms of true
election reforms and the ranking member of his committee, too.
Mr. LANGEVIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the distinguished
gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson).
Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, let me thank the
leadership of this committee, the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Ney) and the
gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer). I know how diligent they have been
in working on this, and most especially to the gentleman from Rhode
Island (Mr. Langevin) for offering the motion to instruct the
conferees.
Mr. Speaker, whether the policy issue is prescription drug coverage,
education, or any other matters within the jurisdiction of the
Congress, the most fundamental issue facing all of us is restoring the
public's faith in democracy. Congress must make electoral reform a top
priority, and we hope to see the conclusion of this bill in conference
soon.
Constitutionally mandated equal protection of the laws and the Voting
Rights Act require an electoral system in which all Americans are able
to register as voters, remain on the rolls once registered, and vote
free from harassment. Ballots must not be misleading, and every vote
must count and be counted.
In the 2000 election, Florida was not the only State where American
citizens were denied the full exercise of their fundamental rights and
their constitutional franchise. It happened across this Nation.
Moreover, most of those excluded from democracy were Americans of
color. As such, election reform is the number one legislative priority
for the Congressional Black Caucus, and I sincerely hope that it is a
top priority for every Member of the 107th Congress. We cannot be
silenced until Congress answers the call for electoral reform. This is
not a black, white or brown issue. It is an American issue. It is a
red, white and blue issue.
It should be of great concern to each of us that if any one of us is
improperly denied access to the ballot box or if every ballot cast is
not counted, the survival of our democracy depends on the accuracy and
integrity of our election system. It is important that conferees make
an effective date for election reform in time for the next Presidential
election in 2004. Actually, it should have been in time for our
congressional elections; but we will go forward, unfortunately with the
same system that caused us as much headache as it did in November 2000.
For the second instruction, it is important that the government has
the ability as soon as it is feasible to legally check to see if States
are, in fact, making the necessary changes that the final election
reform bill stimulates. I hope each of my colleagues will do his and
her part by voting in favor of this sensible motion to instruct.
Mr. LANGEVIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished
gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis).
Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman for
yielding me time.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the motion to instruct conferees on
the election reform bill, H.R. 3295, which has been submitted by my
colleague from Rhode Island (Mr. Langevin). The motion asks the
conferees to agree to the Senate provisions relating to the
accessibility of voting systems for individuals with disabilities.
It is essential that at least one voting machine in each polling
place be accessible to people with disabilities. This can be done in a
manner that provides the same opportunity for access and participation,
including privacy and independence, as for other voters.
The language referred to in the gentleman from Rhode Island's motion
has been endorsed by a coalition of 17 national organizations
representing people with disabilities; and I believe this is the best
approach for increasing the participation of all citizens in the
electoral process, especially at a time when voter participation has
been decreasing.
With the electronic voting technology that exists today, it is
possible to enable many individuals with disabilities to record their
votes directly and in privacy. This is a fundamental right that all
Americans should have. The cost to do this is minimal, and I urge
conferees to adopt the language as outlined in the gentleman from Rhode
Island's motion.
I also commend the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Ney) and the gentleman
from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer) for their leadership on this issue and
commend the gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr. Langevin) for this
amendment.
Mr. LANGEVIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the distinguished
gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Scott).
Mr. SCOTT. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me time.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this motion to instruct conferees
on election reform offered by the gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr.
Langevin).
Mr. Speaker, this motion to instruct does a very simple, but
important, thing. It asks conferees to adopt the language in the Senate
bill with respect to voting equipment with persons with disabilities.
The Senate language says that there must be at least one accessible
voting machine in each polling place, a voting machine that would allow
voters with disabilities to vote privately and independently just like
everybody else.
Let me share with you the manner in which most blind voters currently
cast their ballots at an election. First, they have to bring someone
along with them to help them cast their ballot, or they can have a poll
worker assist them. Then they have to let the other person read the
ballot to them out loud. This is usually done in a voting booth that is
adjacent to other voting booths; and in order to vote, the voter with
the disability has to announce his or her choice to the person helping
him. All of this is likely to be within listening range of other voters
at the polling place. Persons with other disabilities also suffer a
compromise of their right to cast a secret ballot.
I cannot imagine that this is a manner in which most Americans would
be comfortable in voting. Most of us value our privacy and independence
in a voting place.
{time} 1530
Many of us choose not to reveal our voting choices to others. We view
it as our right to keep our choices private, but many voters with
disabilities do not currently have this option. Their ballot choices
are shared with at least one other person and often more.
This harsh reality was revealed in a recent GAO report. During the
2000 presidential election, the GAO surveyed hundreds of polling places
throughout the country to measure access for voters with disabilities.
The GAO found that none, not one, of the hundreds of polling places
surveyed allowed voters with disabilities to vote privately and
independently. Every polling place required voters with disabilities to
vote in the somewhat public manner I referred to.
This motion to instruct seeks to remedy this problem by requiring
that one voting machine per polling place incorporate assistive
technology that allows any voter, including voters with disabilities,
to vote privately and independently. Potentially, it could impact
millions of voters with disabilities, by allowing them full and equal
access to
[[Page H4391]]
the voting process, and that is the least that they deserve, for that
is what most of us expect for ourselves and our constituents when we go
to the polling place. It is also likely that for these accessible
voting machines to be there, the cost will be borne at least in part by
the Federal Government.
I commend the gentleman from Rhode Island for his leadership on this
issue. I urge my colleagues to support the motion to instruct.
Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished
gentleman from Florida (Mr. Foley).
Mr. FOLEY. Mr. Speaker, let me first thank the gentleman from Rhode
Island (Mr. Langevin) for this excellent legislative initiative, and I
want to also thank the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Ney), the chairman of
the committee, because this is vitally important to our Nation, to our
democracy, to the comfort our voters feel when they leave the polls,
that the vote is counted, but in this particular instance, we need to
ensure that every American is allowed and able to vote. It is not as
easy said as done.
We have barriers and we do have roadblocks for people to achieve a
normal living in this country. This will go a long way to ensure that
those who are disabled are able to make it to the voting polls and cast
their ballot for the candidates that they feel are most appropriate for
this Nation.
We in Florida, of course, had an interesting election. The gentleman
from Ohio's bill speaks to all of the concerns that many Floridians had
during that contentious debate. I do want to commend him and the
gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer) for working so cooperatively on an
issue that for a while divided the Nation, but hopefully when this
final product makes it to the President's desk, it will unite us as
Americans, knowing that when we do, in fact, cast those ballots, those
critical ballots, whether it is for city commissioner, county
commissioner or President of the United States, they are done
accurately, they are done effectively, and they are done without any
degree of uncertainty.
The gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr. Langevin) has been the leader on
this and a number of other issues, and I commend him and encourage and
urge my colleagues to be fully supportive of this motion to instruct.
It will not only improve the bill substantially but will improve the
lives of millions of Americans who up until now may have found
themselves disenfranchised by polling places that were not familiar,
not comfortable, not accessible.
So I think this is something overdue, quite frankly, long overdue in
the annals of our electoral system, and I commend the gentleman for his
great efforts in bringing this to our attention and urge everybody to
universally support this motion to instruct.
Mr. LANGEVIN. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to the
gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Capps).
Mrs. CAPPS. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for yielding me the
time.
Mr. Speaker, I rise to express strong support for the Langevin-Hoyer-
Conyers motion to instruct conferees on the election reform bill.
Election reform is one of the most important issues that we will face
in the 107th Congress.
Last year, we cast historic bipartisan election reform language and
legislation that will significantly improve our election system. More
importantly, this legislation will protect one of our most cherished
democratic rights, the right to vote.
In passing the Help America Vote Act, we understood that this
legislation was not perfect. One area that needs to be improved on is
the language concerning the right of voters with disabilities and their
access to polling places, and I thank my colleague, the gentleman from
Rhode Island (Mr. Langevin), for his leadership on this issue.
One of the greatest challenges voters face are inaccessible buildings
and voting machines. According to the GAO, 84 percent of polling places
examined in the last election were found to have one or more physical
impediments which would limit people's access, people with
disabilities. This is appalling. In my view, we need to make polling
places and voting machines fully accessible to elderly, to frail, to
those with disabilities.
Affording all people the opportunity to cast a secret ballot is of
critical importance to our election system. Therefore, I urge my
colleagues to support the Senate language to require States to maintain
voting systems that are accessible to disabled and elderly voters.
Finally, I am hopeful that as we move forward on this issue Congress
will enact a Federal election reform bill that ensures every single
vote is counted and that no American is ever disenfranchised again. We
must regain the trust and full participation of voters across this
country.
This is a great first step and I commend my colleagues who are
leaders in this area, and I urge all of us in this House to support the
motion that is before us this afternoon.
Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from
Minnesota (Mr. Ramstad).
Mr. RAMSTAD. Mr. Speaker, I thank the distinguished chairman for
yielding me the time.
Today, Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this important motion
which I offered with my good friend, the gentleman from Rhode Island
(Mr. Langevin), the cochair of the House Disabilities Caucus, and I
want to thank him for his leadership on these issues, as well as the
gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Ney).
The right to vote, Mr. Speaker, is the most basic and fundamental
right we have as Americans, and despite the importance of this
constitutionally important and constitutionally protected right, every
election there are millions of citizens with disabilities who find it
difficult, if not impossible, to cast their ballot.
Across the country, thousands of visually impaired people, voters,
are unable to cast a secret vote, a right afforded to every other
American, because of their inability to read the ballot visually.
This motion to instruct asks the conferees to include language passed
by the Senate that requires every polling place to offer at least one
voting machine equipped for individuals with disabilities. That is the
least we can do, Mr. Speaker, to provide access to voting for every
American, every citizen.
This motion is about fairness, and people with disabilities deserve
equal access to voting. Over the years, Congress has worked hard to
ensure that every person's voice is heard regardless of race, religion
or ethnic background. It is long past time that we provide the same
opportunity to individuals with disabilities.
This motion is very timely. We have just returned from celebrating
the 4th of July, the birth of our great Nation. We have the opportunity
today, Mr. Speaker, to ensure that the vision of our Founding Fathers
is realized, that every American has an equal opportunity to vote.
I urge Members to vote yes for this important motion, and again, I
thank the gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr. Langevin) for his leadership
on this important issue.
Mr. LANGEVIN. Mr. Speaker, I again want to thank the gentleman from
Minnesota (Mr. Ramstad) for his support of this issue. Mr. Speaker, I
reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, again, I support this motion, and I yield back
the balance of my time.
Mr. LANGEVIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
In closing, I just want to reiterate my appreciation to the gentleman
from Ohio (Mr. Ney) for his leadership both on election reform and on
disabilities issues and agreeing to support this motion to instruct. We
would not be where we are on election reform without his support and I
thank him.
Mr. Speaker, as I previously mentioned, I offered this motion in
honor of Justin Dart, the father of the Americans with Disabilities Act
and an ardent supporter of greater access to voting. Last year during
the ADA anniversary celebration Justin said, Let us rise above politics
as usual. Let us join together, Republican, Democrats, Independents,
Americans. Let us embrace each other in love for individual human life.
Let us unite in action to keep the sacred pledge, life, liberty and
justice for all.
I ask my colleagues to help empower all Americans by voting for this
motion to instruct.
[[Page H4392]]
General Leave
Mr. LANGEVIN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their
remarks on the motion to instruct.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Pence). Is there objection to the
request of the gentleman from Rhode Island?
There was no objection.
Mr. LANGEVIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Without objection, the previous question is
ordered on the conference report.
There was no objection.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion to instruct
offered by the gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr. Langevin).
The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that
the ayes appeared to have it.
Mr. LANGEVIN. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a
quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not
present.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Evidently a quorum is not present.
The Sergeant at Arms will notify absent Members.
The Chair announces that this vote will be followed by two 5-minute
votes on motions to suspend the rules considered earlier today.
The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--yeas 410,
nays 2, not voting 22, as follows:
[Roll No. 285]
YEAS--410
Abercrombie
Aderholt
Akin
Allen
Andrews
Armey
Baca
Bachus
Baird
Baker
Baldacci
Baldwin
Ballenger
Barcia
Barr
Bartlett
Barton
Bass
Becerra
Bentsen
Bereuter
Berkley
Berman
Berry
Biggert
Bilirakis
Bishop
Blumenauer
Blunt
Boehlert
Boehner
Bonilla
Bono
Boozman
Borski
Boswell
Boyd
Brady (PA)
Brady (TX)
Brown (FL)
Brown (OH)
Brown (SC)
Bryant
Burr
Burton
Buyer
Callahan
Calvert
Camp
Cannon
Cantor
Capito
Capps
Capuano
Cardin
Carson (IN)
Carson (OK)
Castle
Chabot
Chambliss
Clay
Clayton
Clement
Clyburn
Coble
Collins
Combest
Condit
Conyers
Cooksey
Costello
Cox
Coyne
Cramer
Crane
Crenshaw
Crowley
Cubin
Culberson
Cunningham
Davis (CA)
Davis (FL)
Davis (IL)
Davis, Jo Ann
Davis, Tom
Deal
DeFazio
DeGette
DeLauro
DeLay
DeMint
Deutsch
Diaz-Balart
Dicks
Dingell
Doggett
Dooley
Doolittle
Doyle
Duncan
Dunn
Edwards
Ehlers
Ehrlich
Emerson
Engel
English
Eshoo
Etheridge
Evans
Everett
Farr
Fattah
Ferguson
Filner
Fletcher
Foley
Forbes
Ford
Fossella
Frank
Frelinghuysen
Frost
Gallegly
Ganske
Gekas
Gephardt
Gibbons
Gilchrest
Gillmor
Gilman
Gonzalez
Goodlatte
Gordon
Goss
Graham
Granger
Graves
Green (TX)
Green (WI)
Greenwood
Grucci
Gutierrez
Gutknecht
Hall (OH)
Hall (TX)
Hansen
Harman
Hart
Hastings (WA)
Hayes
Hayworth
Hefley
Herger
Hill
Hilleary
Hilliard
Hinchey
Hinojosa
Hobson
Hoeffel
Hoekstra
Holden
Honda
Hooley
Horn
Hostettler
Houghton
Hoyer
Hunter
Hyde
Inslee
Isakson
Israel
Issa
Istook
Jackson (IL)
Jackson-Lee (TX)
Jefferson
Jenkins
John
Johnson (CT)
Johnson (IL)
Johnson, E. B.
Johnson, Sam
Jones (NC)
Jones (OH)
Kanjorski
Kaptur
Keller
Kelly
Kennedy (MN)
Kennedy (RI)
Kerns
Kildee
Kilpatrick
Kind (WI)
King (NY)
Kingston
Kirk
Kleczka
Knollenberg
Kolbe
Kucinich
LaFalce
LaHood
Lampson
Langevin
Lantos
Larsen (WA)
Larson (CT)
Latham
LaTourette
Leach
Lee
Levin
Lewis (CA)
Lewis (GA)
Lewis (KY)
Linder
Lipinski
LoBiondo
Lofgren
Lowey
Lucas (KY)
Lucas (OK)
Luther
Lynch
Maloney (CT)
Maloney (NY)
Manzullo
Markey
Mascara
Matheson
Matsui
McCarthy (MO)
McCarthy (NY)
McCollum
McCrery
McDermott
McGovern
McHugh
McInnis
McIntyre
McKeon
McKinney
McNulty
Meehan
Meek (FL)
Menendez
Mica
Millender-McDonald
Miller, Dan
Miller, Gary
Miller, George
Miller, Jeff
Mink
Mollohan
Moore
Moran (KS)
Moran (VA)
Morella
Murtha
Myrick
Nadler
Napolitano
Neal
Nethercutt
Ney
Northup
Norwood
Nussle
Oberstar
Obey
Ortiz
Osborne
Ose
Otter
Owens
Oxley
Pallone
Pascrell
Pastor
Payne
Pence
Peterson (MN)
Peterson (PA)
Petri
Phelps
Pickering
Pitts
Platts
Pombo
Pomeroy
Portman
Price (NC)
Pryce (OH)
Putnam
Quinn
Radanovich
Rahall
Ramstad
Rangel
Regula
Rehberg
Reyes
Reynolds
Rivers
Rodriguez
Roemer
Rogers (KY)
Rogers (MI)
Rohrabacher
Ros-Lehtinen
Ross
Rothman
Roybal-Allard
Royce
Rush
Ryan (WI)
Ryun (KS)
Sabo
Sanchez
Sanders
Sandlin
Sawyer
Saxton
Schakowsky
Schiff
Schrock
Scott
Sensenbrenner
Serrano
Sessions
Shadegg
Shaw
Shays
Sherman
Sherwood
Shimkus
Shows
Shuster
Simmons
Simpson
Skeen
Skelton
Slaughter
Smith (MI)
Smith (NJ)
Smith (TX)
Smith (WA)
Snyder
Solis
Stark
Stearns
Stenholm
Strickland
Stump
Stupak
Sullivan
Sununu
Sweeney
Tancredo
Tanner
Tauscher
Tauzin
Taylor (MS)
Taylor (NC)
Terry
Thomas
Thompson (CA)
Thompson (MS)
Thornberry
Thune
Thurman
Tiahrt
Tiberi
Tierney
Toomey
Towns
Turner
Udall (CO)
Udall (NM)
Upton
Velazquez
Visclosky
Vitter
Walden
Wamp
Waters
Watkins (OK)
Watson (CA)
Watt (NC)
Watts (OK)
Waxman
Weiner
Weldon (FL)
Weldon (PA)
Weller
Wexler
Whitfield
Wicker
Wilson (NM)
Wilson (SC)
Wolf
Woolsey
Wu
Wynn
Young (AK)
Young (FL)
NAYS--2
Flake
Paul
NOT VOTING--22
Ackerman
Barrett
Blagojevich
Bonior
Boucher
Cummings
Delahunt
Dreier
Goode
Hastings (FL)
Holt
Hulshof
Meeks (NY)
Olver
Pelosi
Riley
Roukema
Schaffer
Souder
Spratt
Traficant
Walsh
{time} 1604
So the motion to instruct was agreed to.
The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
____________________