[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 71 (Thursday, May 17, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E838]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               INTRODUCTION OF THE VOTER EMPOWERMENT ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JOHN LEWIS

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 17, 2012

  Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce the 
Voter Empowerment Act, with 123 of my colleagues. The right to vote is 
precious, almost sacred. It is the most powerful non-violent tool we 
have in a democratic society. It controls everything we do from the 
time we're born until the moment we die. And that's why the leaders 
standing with me today believe voting should be simple, easy and 
accessible to every citizen.
  But there are 51 million Americans who are not registered, and it's 
harder for them to register today than it was just one year ago. In 
this age of technology, our country is moving backward, not forward. 
Since the beginning of last year, 176 bills have been introduced in 41 
states making it harder and more difficult for people to participate in 
the democratic process.
  In the last election 3 million eligible voters showed up to the polls 
to vote and were turned away because of failures in our registration 
system. We need to do something about this. The Voter Empowerment Act 
represents the leadership of many members of the Democratic Caucus who 
believe we must include the voice of every American citizen.
  The American people should be asking why there is not a bipartisan 
push to enable Americans to cast a ballot that will be counted. We must 
not be silent while leaders we elect take our voting rights away. The 
vote is the soul and the heart of the democratic process. People died 
for the right to vote, and some of them were people I knew. I hope we 
will not return to the days of overt discrimination before we decide to 
do something about it.
  The Voter Empowerment Act modernizes the voter registration system in 
this nation. It helps voters with disabilities, members of the military 
and young people to fully access their right to vote and to have their 
vote counted. The bill restores the integrity of the voting system, by 
providing well-informed, well-trained poll workers who know the law, 
and ensuring that election officials don't have a vested interest in 
the outcome of political campaigns. It protects voters from deceptive 
practices and intimidation and prohibits voter caging. It will ensure 
that every vote is counted. The bill creates a national hotline so that 
problems are reported, corrected and prevented in real time, and it 
reauthorizes the Election Assistance Commission, the only agency with 
election administration expertise, to ensure the highest standards are 
being met nationwide.
  Today with the introduction of the Voter Empowerment Act, we are 
making a major step. We are asking all of the American people and the 
press to pay attention to these problems because they are a threat to 
democracy as we know it.
  I ask all members, from both sides of the aisle to join us in this 
effort to open up the democratic process to every American.

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