[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 1 (Wednesday, January 5, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E4-E5]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        VOTING OPPORTUNITY AND TECHNOLOGY ENHANCEMENT RIGHTS ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. JOHN CONYERS, JR.

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, January 5, 2011

  Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to introduce the Voting 
Opportunity and Technology Enhancement Rights or VOTER Act of 2011. I 
introduce this legislation, more than 200 years after the founding of 
our democracy, because we have yet to realize a government that is 
truly representative of the principle, ``of the people, by the 
people.'' Not until every eligible voter has the opportunity to cast a 
ballot and have that ballot counted, will we have a truly democratic 
government.
  Though the 2010 elections did not present the widespread 
irregularities and improprieties that were witnessed during the 2000 
and 2004 elections, it was still an election in which voter 
disenfranchisement was attempted and accomplished. Voters' names were 
still missing from voter rolls. Voter harassment and intimidation 
complaints were still registered with Federal officials.
  In fact, over the years, the methods that are used to disenfranchise 
voters have become more sophisticated as evidenced during the 2008 
Election. For example, in my home state of Michigan, in the midst of 
the current subprime mortgage crisis, a strategy to challenge a voter's 
eligibility based on home foreclosure status was devised.
  In Virginia, a flyer telling Democrats to vote on Wednesday, November 
5, 2008, circulated. Similar tactics were present last fall, with 
complaints coming in from areas as diverse as Harris County, Texas, and 
even the state of Kansas.
  We should recognize that anything short of a perfect election system 
is unacceptable and work on a bipartisan basis in seeking corrective 
action. To that end, I have introduced VOTER so that we may work 
towards a more perfect system, one that reflects legitimacy, integrity, 
and inclusivity. VOTER will protect and expand voting rights in Federal 
elections, as well as ensure the proper administration of Federal 
elections.
  VOTER will: (1) provide for a uniform Federal write-in absentee 
ballot; (2) require states to provide for a verified audit trail; (3) 
count provisional ballots cast in the proper state; (4) properly 
allocate voting machines and poll workers; (5) provide for election day 
voter registration; (6) protect against improper purging of 
registration lists; (7) mandate early voting; (8) require verification 
and audit ability for punch cards; (9) simplify voter registration 
requirements; (10) allow voter identification by written affidavit; 
(11) provide for a study of nonpartisan election boards; (12) 
strengthen the EAC with funding and resources; (13) mandate the use of 
publicly available open source software; (14) restrict voting machine 
companies from engaging in political activities; (15) give greater 
deference to voter intent during recounts; (16) prohibit deceptive 
practices and intimidation; (17) prohibit caging and other questionable 
challenges; (18) restore voting rights to former felons; and (19) treat 
Election Day as a Federal holiday.
  Some of these initiatives have already been implemented by states, 
the success of which was observed during the 2010 elections. There are 
32 states that currently provide early voting, including Florida, a 
state that witnessed over 1 million voters turn out to the polls the 
weekend before the 2008 election. There are also 29 states that 
currently provide no-excuse absentee voting by mail.
  Such practices were critical to managing an unprecedented voter 
turnout in the 2008 elections. More than 130 million people turned out 
to vote, the highest turnout in any presidential election. With this 
many longtime and new voters engaged in the 2008 election process, I 
suspect that voter participation will only increase in 2012.
  As such, we must pledge to fight for election reform this Congress. 
The right to vote and to have that vote counted is one of our 
democracy's most fundamental principles. It is with VOTER that I intend 
to protect this fundamental principle, and I ask that my colleagues in 
this Congress join me in this fight for fair and just elections.

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