[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 129 (Friday, September 21, 2012)]
[House]
[Page H6237]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
VOTER SUPPRESSION
(Ms. SCHAKOWSKY asked and was given permission to address the House
for 1 minute.)
Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Mr. Speaker, this is Constitution Week, when we
celebrate our fundamental rights as Americans. Today, one of the most
cherished rights, the right to vote, is under serious attack.
Recent efforts to suppress voter participation are designed to
silence the voice of American voters, especially seniors, people of
color, the poor, and young adults.
In Florida, new restrictions on voter registration led the League of
Women Voters to suspend their efforts until the law was halted by the
court. Republican legislatures have passed strict voting requirements,
although Pennsylvania could not provide even one example of voter
fraud. Even elderly veterans, who risked their lives for our country,
may be turned away from the polls because they lack the proper IDs.
Five million Americans could be disenfranchised.
Anyone who values our Constitution should encourage voting, not erect
barriers based on false claims of voter fraud.
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