[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 132 (Tuesday, December 5, 2006)]
[House]
[Pages H8684-H8685]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SUPPORTING THE GOALS AND IDEALS OF NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS VOTER
REGISTRATION DAY
Mr. EHLERS. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to
the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 73) supporting the goals and
ideals of National High School Seniors Voter Registration Day.
The Clerk read as follows:
H. Con. Res. 73
Whereas in order for the government of the United States to
remain of the people, by the people, and for the people,
individuals must take advantage of their right to vote;
Whereas the right to vote is one of the most important
rights of a citizen, and every effort should be made to
promote voter registration at school so that students may
begin participating in the foundation of the Nation's
representative democracy;
Whereas the Legislature of Louisiana voted in 2002 to
recognize annually the first Tuesday in May as National High
School Seniors Voter Registration Day; and
Whereas the purpose of National High School Seniors Voter
Registration Day is to allow students to register to vote at
school to encourage their participation in making democracy
work: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate
concurring), That Congress supports the goals and ideals of
National High School Seniors Voter Registration Day, and
encourages all eligible students to register to vote.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Michigan (Mr. Ehlers) and the gentlewoman from California (Ms.
Millender-McDonald) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Michigan
Mr. EHLERS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
[[Page H8685]]
Madam Speaker, I rise in support of House Concurrent Resolution 73,
introduced by my colleague from Louisiana, Congressman McCrery. This
bill will establish the first Tuesday in May as National High School
Seniors Voter Registration Day, during which volunteers will register
high school seniors and other students of voting age on site in their
schools.
As I have often stated, my goal as the chairman of the House
Administration Committee is to make sure that every citizen who is able
to vote does so. As an educator, I have witnessed firsthand the passion
and energy our young people possess when given a chance to voice their
beliefs, qualities that will serve them well as they enter the voting
booth. The National High School Seniors Voter Registration Day will
create an additional mechanism to register young men and women and
perhaps encourage an early desire to participate in the political
process. Accordingly, I call upon my colleagues to support this
resolution.
Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I
may consume.
Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Con. Res. 73 and thank
Representative McCrery for introducing this very important concurrent
resolution which encourages our Nation's youth to register to vote.
There are few rights as Americans that are more sacred than the
precious right to vote. Discussing this resolution today gives all of
us in Congress the opportunity to express our support for the goals set
forth by the great State of Louisiana to provide the opportunity for
all high school seniors to register to vote at school and to encourage
their participation in the political process.
Madam Speaker, you and I and many Members very frequently visit our
high schools and speak with our students, and it is so important for
the high school seniors to register to vote. A lot of them are very
much interested in what goes on in this House, and it is important that
we continue to engage in dialogue with them so that they will be
participants, active participants in this political process.
In the spring session of 2002, the Louisiana legislature ratified
House Concurrent Resolution 20, declaring the first Tuesday in May as
Louisiana High School Seniors Voting Registration Day. This resolution
encourages students to participate in our political process and in
making democracy work. In my home State of California, the legislature
passed the Student Voting Registration Act of 2003, which gives the
Secretary of State the power to annually provide every high school,
community college, and California State university and the University
of California systems' campuses with voter registration forms to expand
the number of youth participating in the voting process.
The goal of California's law is to ensure that every high school and
college student receives a voter registration card with his or her
diploma. California is achieving its goal by providing voter
registration forms at the start of the school year, including voter
registration forms with orientation materials, placing voter
registration forms at central locations, and including voter
registration forms with graduation materials. I am so pleased and so
proud of the State of California for expanding this type of service to
our high school students, and I hope that all States follow these
models to enfranchise all of our Nation's youth.
I hope that this resolution on the floor today will encourage our
youth to participate in our democracy not only by registering to vote
and voting, but by becoming poll workers. To facilitate youth
involvement in our elections, this summer I offered an amendment to
H.R. 5576, the Transportation-Treasury-HUD appropriations bill, to
double the funding to the Election Assistance Commission to administer
the College Poll Workers Grant program. This amendment was accepted to
the bill without objection. I realize that the resolution under
consideration today only speaks to high school students, but it
highlights an important first step in increasing youth civic engagement
and strengthening American democracy.
I support this resolution and the continued goals and ideals of
National High School Seniors Voter Registration Day and encourage all
eligible students not only to register to vote but to exercise that
franchise as well.
Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. EHLERS. Madam Speaker, I am very pleased to yield as much time as
he may consume to the sponsor of the resolution, Mr. McCrery of
Louisiana.
Mr. McCRERY. Madam Speaker, it is a pleasure to be on the floor today
to support this resolution, and I thank the chairman and ranking member
of the committee for bringing this to the floor today.
The resolution actually encourages the Congress to support the goals
and ideals of National High School Seniors Voter Registration Day. This
is a program that was actually started in my hometown of Shreveport,
Louisiana, back in 1996; and the results have been indeed noteworthy.
Just this year, for example, in the class of 2006, the high school
graduating class of 2006, nearly 50 percent of the graduating class
registered to vote in Shreveport this year. That is far above what you
will find in most cities and towns that don't have a program similar to
this in effect.
The goals and ideals of the High School Seniors Voter Registration
Day are contained in the program's mission statement; and simply, the
program's mission is to register to vote high school seniors and
students of voting age on the first Tuesday in May.
{time} 1115
And also, to encourage students to make a lifelong commitment to
civic participation in all areas of society by educating them about the
importance of voting.
That's the mission. Certainly I would hope this Congress today by its
vote here in the House and I hope later in the other body would support
the goals and ideals of this program.
Certainly we can think of no better message to send to young people
in this country that civic participation is important, in fact critical
to the progress of this Nation and perhaps, some would say, to the
survival of this Nation.
So I am pleased to be able to present this resolution today endorsing
a program that sprang up in my hometown and now has spread across the
State of Louisiana and we hope will spread across the Nation. I urge
its adoption.
Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Madam Speaker, I applaud the gentleman from
Louisiana for this very interesting and important resolution. I support
the resolution.
Madam Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I yield back the
balance of my time.
Mr. EHLERS. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Ehlers) that the House suspend the rules
and agree to the concurrent resolution, H. Con. Res. 73.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds of those voting having
responded in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the
concurrent resolution was agreed to.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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