[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 122 (Tuesday, September 26, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1839-E1840]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 4844, FEDERAL ELECTION INTEGRITY 
                              ACT OF 2006

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                          HON. BETTY McCOLLUM

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 20, 2006

  Ms. McCOLLUM of Minnesota. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to strongly 
oppose H.R. 4844, Republican legislation that would suppress voter 
participation by mandating burdensome new voter identification 
requirements. This bill is similar to State laws that have recently 
been struck down as unconstitutional conditions to voting.
  H.R. 4844 is a discriminatory political ploy. No empirical data of 
voter fraud exists that justifies such onerous new mandates. The bill 
requires individuals to have a State or Federally approved photo 
identification in order to vote in federal elections in 2008 and to 
provide documented proof of citizenship by 2010. For those voting by 
mail, H.R. 4844 requires a photocopy of identification to be sent with 
the absentee ballot. In reality, the legislation would disenfranchise 
millions of American citizens who do not possess the required 
identification.
  Not surprisingly, those who will struggle most to comply with this 
bill are the same citizens the Voting Rights Act is designed to 
protect: racial and ethnic minorities, students, the elderly, 
individuals with disabilities, Americans living in rural areas, the 
homeless and low-income citizens. This burden will be overwhelming for 
many Native Americans, particularly elders and those living in remote 
areas, or those that use primarily tribal identification.

[[Page E1840]]

In addition, a study conducted at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee 
found that only 50 percent of African American and Latino men in 
Milwaukee had government issued photo identification that would allow 
them to vote in 2008. To obtain a drivers' license, birth certificate, 
passport or naturalization papers to meet the bill's requirements low-
income citizens will face financial burdens and lost time from work 
while the elderly may struggle to make a trip to the local DMV. And 
citizens who lost their vital documents in the aftermath of Hurricane's 
Katrina and Rita should expect to face one final insult from Washington 
when they lose their right to vote.
  In addition, H.R. 4844 fails to specify how disputes over 
identification would be handled by poll workers. Consequently, the bill 
places an undue and irresponsible amount of discretion in the hands of 
overworked poll workers, which opens the door to widespread racial and 
ethnic discrimination at polling places. Imposing new barriers to the 
right of Americans to vote is simply unnecessary. Existing federal laws 
impose strict penalties on non-citizens who attempt to vote illegally. 
The success of existing federal laws is underscored by the fact that 
supporters of H.R. 4844 were unable to offer data to establish a need 
for this bill.
  The Help America Vote Act, HAVA, that Congress passed with bipartisan 
support in 2002 proved that securing the integrity of our elections 
process need not come at the cost of voter access. Congress should 
reject H.R. 4844 and instead, fulfill promises made in HAVA by 
providing States with the $800 million they need to expand access and 
prevent voter fraud. The Republican Majority should be held accountable 
for championing H.R. 4844, a bill that casually and callously 
undermines the constitutionally guaranteed right of all Americans to 
vote.

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