[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 64 (Monday, May 22, 2006)]
[House]
[Page H3014]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       FORMER STATE SENATOR JOE BURTON AND GEORGIA'S VOTER ID LAW

  Mr. GINGREY. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to speak out of 
turn for 5 minutes.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Georgia?
  There was no objection.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Gingrey) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. GINGREY. Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate my State of 
Georgia on its new voter ID law which hopefully will be fully 
implemented soon. Additionally, I rise today to honor a friend and 
former Republican colleague in the Georgia State Senate, Joe Burton of 
DeKalb County.
  Though retired, Senator Burton was one of the legislature's greatest 
proponents of voter identification reform, as well one of the 
legislative architects of this reform. While he may no longer be in the 
Georgia State Senate, the passage of this voter ID reform legislation 
can be directly attributed to his efforts.
  Madam Speaker, Senator Burton, like most of us, realized open and 
fair elections are critical to the preservation of our democratic form 
of government. Every citizen has not only the right but, in many ways, 
the obligation to choose their leaders through the electoral process.
  However, to ensure the integrity of our elections, we must verify 
those who vote are actually registered voters and the person they claim 
to be. Preventing election fraud and taking reasonable precautions to 
do so are fundamental in reassuring us all that our election results 
are a legitimate expression of the will of the people.
  Last year, Madam Speaker, the Georgia legislature passed, and 
Governor Sonny Perdue signed into law a comprehensive voter 
identification bill. This bill requires an individual to produce a 
photo ID in order to vote rather than 1 of 17 different forms, 
including utility bills, bank statements, mail, and various non-photo 
licenses, which in no way guarantee that the possessor of the document 
is actually the identified person.
  Madam Speaker, this law hit a slight speed bump when a Federal 
appeals court maintained an injunction on the voter ID law pending 
certain changes. Thankfully in the opening weeks of this year's 
legislative session, the Georgia legislature and the governor quickly 
passed a bill making all the necessary changes ensuring every Georgian 
can obtain a free photo ID in each and every one of Georgia's 159 
counties.
  Madam Speaker, this path to reform has not been an easy one. 
Legislators on both sides of this issue feel very passionately, and 
throughout this debate, emotions ran high, and they will probably 
continue to run high until these reforms are enacted and the law's 
opponents can see these reforms actually help, not hinder, voters.
  While this law may have a few more legal tests to pass, it has been 
reviewed by the Department of Justice throughout the process. I remain 
confident that, given a fair hearing, this law will stand all legal 
tests and will provide all Georgians with a more fair electoral 
process.
  Madam Speaker, strengthening voter confidence in the electoral 
process will only encourage more people to vote. I know this, and I 
know Senator Burton knew this when he helped lay the foundation for 
this reform in the Georgia Senate. Now, with a Republican majority in 
the Georgia legislature and a Republican governor, these nonpartisan 
reforms will become a reality to strengthen the integrity of our 
elections for the sake of all Georgians.

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