[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 128 (Thursday, September 20, 2012)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6555-S6556]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  SENATE RESOLUTION 572--DESIGNATING SEPTEMBER 2012 AS THE ``NATIONAL 
                     MONTH OF VOTER REGISTRATION''

  Mr. CARDIN (for himself, Mr. Sanders, Mrs. Boxer, Mr. Merkley, and 
Mr. Tester) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
the Committee on the Judiciary:

                              S. Res. 572

       Whereas the United States has overcome the stains of 
     historic State-sponsored voting discrimination, including 
     State laws that imposed voting qualifications such as 
     property ownership, religious qualifications, grandfather 
     clauses, poll taxes, and literacy tests and were designed to 
     exclude racial minorities, poorer voters, and certain 
     religious groups from voting;
       Whereas courts have struck down these State laws because 
     the laws conflict with the Constitution of the United States;
       Whereas Congress has continuously moved to expand the 
     franchise of voting;
       Whereas the 13th, 14th, 15th, 19th, 23rd, 24th, and 26th 
     amendments to the Constitution of the United States are 
     intended to protect minorities, poorer voters, women, the 
     elderly, and youth from voting discrimination;
       Whereas, in 1965, Congress enacted the Voting Rights Act of 
     1965 (42 U.S.C. 1973 et seq.) to remedy past discrimination 
     in voting and protect vulnerable citizens from practices that 
     infringe on the right to vote or elect a candidate of their 
     choice;
       Whereas, in 1993, Congress enacted the National Voter 
     Registration Act of 1993 (42 U.S.C. 1973gg et seq.) to 
     establish protections around the voting process, increase the 
     number of citizens who register to vote, and encourage 
     governments to protect the integrity of the electoral 
     process;
       Whereas, in 2002, in response to the controversy 
     surrounding the 2000 presidential election, Congress enacted 
     the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (42 U.S.C. 15301 et seq.), 
     which provided new standards for voting systems, created the 
     independent Election Assistance Commission to assist with the 
     administration of Federal elections, and established minimum 
     standards for States and local governments that administer 
     Federal elections;
       Whereas Congress has reauthorized the Voting Rights Act of 
     1965 5 times, most recently in 2006, recognizing the need for 
     continued enforcement against State practices in voting that 
     discriminate against or disenfranchise vulnerable citizens;
       Whereas, since 2010, some States have enacted voting laws 
     that are reminiscent of historic State-sponsored voting 
     discrimination;
       Whereas some States have already disenfranchised some young 
     people, elderly people, and former Members of Congress 
     through strict new voting laws;
       Whereas some States continue to disenfranchise United 
     States citizens with past criminal convictions who live and 
     work in our communities;
       Whereas Members of Congress and notable civil rights 
     organizations have studied recently-enacted State voting laws 
     and calculated that the laws will have a grave impact on 
     millions of minority, elderly, young, and poor individuals 
     who are eligible to vote and will seek to register to vote 
     and vote on election day;
       Whereas, since March 12, 2012, 2 State courts in Wisconsin 
     have held that the Wisconsin voter identification law enacted 
     in 2011 violates the Wisconsin constitution, with one court 
     writing that ``a government that undermines the very 
     foundation of its existence--the people's inherent, pre-
     constitutional right to vote--imperils its legitimacy as a 
     government by the people, for the people, and especially of 
     the people'';
       Whereas Federal courts in both Florida and Washington, DC, 
     recently struck down new Florida state laws that restrict new 
     voter registration and early voting hours, with one court 
     writing that the new restrictions on voter registration 
     drives ``impose burdensome record-keeping and reporting 
     requirements that serve little if any purpose, thus rendering 
     them unconstitutional even to the extent they do not violate 
     the [National Voter Registration Act of 1993]'', and another 
     court holding, ``[W]e conclude that we cannot . . . preclear 
     Florida's early voting changes because the State has failed 
     to satisfy its burden of proving that those changes will not 
     have a retrogressive effect on minority voters. Specifically, 
     the State has not proven that the changes will be 
     nonretrogressive if the covered counties offer only the 
     minimum number of early voting hours that they are required 
     to offer under the new statute, which would constitute only 
     half the hours required under the prior law.'';
       Whereas a Federal court in Washington, DC, recently struck 
     down a Texas voter identification law, writing that the law 
     ``imposes strict, unforgiving burdens on the poor'' and that 
     ``a disproportionately high percentage of African Americans 
     and Hispanics in Texas live in poverty'';
       Whereas a Federal court in Ohio recently struck down a 
     State law that mandated that even in cases where poll workers 
     steer voters to the wrong polling place, provisional votes 
     cast in the wrong precinct must be discarded;
       Whereas State representatives and political leaders in 
     States such as New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, and Florida have 
     made public admissions about how certain laws in their States 
     were designed to put a dent in the democratic process;
       Whereas, without a response from Congress, millions of 
     voters in the United States may be subjected to State actions 
     that will harm the franchise;
       Whereas the month of September 2012 would be an appropriate 
     month to commemorate a national focus on the importance of 
     every citizen being registered and empowered to vote;

[[Page S6556]]

       Whereas, during September 2012, each voting-eligible 
     citizen should register to vote, verify that the name, 
     address, and other personal information on record for the 
     citizen at the State or local board of elections is correct, 
     confirm that the citizen has everything in hand that will be 
     required to vote on election day, and confirm the correct 
     polling place for election day; and
       Whereas States should abolish all restrictive voter 
     identification laws that disenfranchise vulnerable voting-
     eligible citizens, comply with the National Voter 
     Registration Act of 1993, protect the voting rights of public 
     assistance and disability clients during an economic 
     downturn, and stop misguided, discriminatory, and inaccurate 
     purging programs that have the risk of purging eligible 
     voters: Now, therefore be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) designates September 2012 as the ``National Month of 
     Voter Registration'' to encourage each voting-eligible 
     citizen to register to vote, verify that the name, address, 
     and other personal information on record for the citizen at 
     the State or local board of elections is correct, confirm 
     that the citizen has everything in hand that will be required 
     to vote on election day, and confirm the correct polling 
     place for election day;
       (2) calls on State and local election officials to conduct 
     public outreach and take affirmative steps to encourage voter 
     registration;
       (3) encourages States to be fully compliant with the 
     National Voter Registration Act of 1993 and other Federal 
     voting rights laws as election day approaches; and
       (4) requests that the President issue a proclamation for 
     the National Month of Voter Registration calling upon the 
     people of the United States to observe the month with 
     appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities.

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