[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 103 (Thursday, June 25, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4619-S4620]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
VOTING RIGHTS ACT
Mr. REID. Mr. President, in less than 18 months, Americans all over
the country will cast their ballots in the 2016 elections. This
exercise fulfills one of the most basic promises of our constitutional
democracy: that all citizens have the right to vote, regardless of
race, gender, or social status.
This right to vote and the guarantee that each vote counts equally is
the foundation of our form of government. It ensures that as this
country changes, the elected officials who represent its citizens will
also reflect those changes. The electorate should be able to elect
those who represent them, their thoughts, and their ideals. Yet, there
is an ongoing effort all over America to obstruct the work of
perfecting our Union by hindering progress where it is needed the most.
We see this reflected in the debate about whether the Confederate
flag--a symbol of bigotry and racism--still has a place on public
lands. There should be no debate. The answer to this question is no.
And that matter should have been settled long ago. It was not. It took
the deaths of nine innocent people, perhaps, to move this issue
forward.
We see this reflected in the debate about whether gay people have the
right to marry. After all that has gone on, there should be no debate
in this regard. The answer to this question is yes. The matter should
have been settled long ago.
We see this reflected in the insidious fight to keep certain citizens
from exercising their constitutional right to vote by instituting voter
ID laws. There should be no debate. The answer to this question is no
poll tax or any sort of maneuver designed to prevent voting should
exist anyplace at any time. That matter was settled long ago--or at
least we thought it was.
The fight is not new. It is deeply rooted in our Nation's history. I
finished many years ago now a book, ``Freedom Summer,'' about these
courageous, brilliant young men and women who went to Mississippi and
spent one summer. It pointed out how the people of Mississippi at that
time would do anything they could to keep an African American from
voting. That is wrong. The Constitution now grants women and citizens
of all races the right to vote. There have long been efforts to
undermine that right. We also see it playing out in State capitols
across the country. Districts are being gerrymandered to ensure that
minority votes have the least possible impact on election outcomes. We
have seen it playing out in courtrooms, where the Voting Rights Act has
been under attack.
Congress passed the Voting Rights Act 50 years ago--hard to believe
but 50 years ago. Historically, it is one of the country's most
important laws--or was an important law. It aimed to clear the path to
the ballot box for all citizens who choose to vote. But 2 years ago,
the Supreme Court, in one of their questionable decisions, struck down
a crucial section of the Voting Rights Act, in a 5-to-4 decision in the
case of Shelby County v. Holder. As a result of the Court's decision,
it is now easier for States to enact laws making it harder for citizens
to vote, and they have taken that way past where they should have.
Voter ID, shortening the time for early voting--they are doing so many
different things to prevent people from voting. It is hard to believe
there would be efforts made to stop people from voting.
In the States where we have same-day registration, I am not aware of
a single case--not a single case of any type of fraud. The voter
turnout where we have same-day registration is tremendous.
In the Presiding Officer's State and my State, there have been
efforts made over the years to make sure that 30 days before an
election, either a primary or general, no more registrations. How
ridiculous. I personally have tried to get that changed for decades,
but no luck. The county clerks from 15 rural counties have enough juice
in the State legislature to prevent that from happening. It is too bad.
Why in the world
[[Page S4620]]
should we stop registration a month before an election? Election day is
when people are so excited about voting. So I am really very
disappointed in what is happening in my own State regarding keeping
people from voting.
The Voting Rights Act was very important, but now it is harder and
harder for people to vote. There is little question that Republican-
controlled State legislatures have taken advantage of this decision. I
repeat: In States all across this country, Republican-controlled State
legislatures have passed burdensome voter ID laws that target minority
voters especially, college students especially, and many other groups,
to prevent them from voting.
In Ohio--a State that experienced the longest voting lines in the
Nation, even longer than the questionable Florida election--the
Republican legislature scaled back early-voting hours in an effort to
keep people from voting. The legislature in North Carolina eliminated
same-day registration when it worked so well and the turnout--it helped
significantly. How can we work to form a more perfect union when some
States actively work to prevent our fellow citizens from voting?
We have a moral obligation to protect the right to vote for every
American citizen. Our country is stronger when every eligible voter
participates. The Dean of the Senate, Senator Leahy, has introduced
robust legislation to repair the damage from the Supreme Court's Shelby
County decision. I am happy to support the efforts made by the senior
Senator from Vermont. His bill will restore the heart of the Voting
Rights Act. It will create a new nationwide coverage formula that
applies to any State with repeated voting rights violations in the last
25 years. It will also establish a targeted process for reviewing
voting changes and also any changes these jurisdictions make all around
the country that have a record of discrimination against voters. This
bill requires reasonable public notice for voting changes and also
allows the Attorney General to request Federal observers to be present
in places where a serious threat of racial discrimination may occur.
We must do everything we can to restore and reestablish and defend
the Voting Rights Act. Congress must act to protect one of the most
important legislative accomplishments of the civil rights era. We
should ensure that every American has equal access to the ballot. It is
the right thing to do. As Dr. King said many years ago, ``There comes a
time when one must take a position that is neither safe nor politic,
nor popular, but he must take it because conscience tells him it is
right.'' To push forward, under the words of Dr. King, is so important.
Let's do everything we can to have people vote. Let's stand together
on increasing, not diminishing, one's ability to vote. Why? Because it
is the right thing to do.
I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
The bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order
for the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
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