[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 138 (Thursday, September 24, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1346]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             COMMEMORATING NATIONAL VOTER REGISTRATION DAY

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. SHEILA JACKSON LEE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 24, 2015

  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise to commemorate National Voter 
Registration Day, which, since 2012, has been observed annually on 
September 22 and is intended to increase awareness of voter 
registration opportunities, promote civic engagement, and celebrate 
democracy.
  National Voter Registration Day, which started in 2012 was designed 
to create an annual moment when the entire nation focuses on 
registering Americans to exercise their most basic right--the right to 
vote.
  In his address to the nation before signing the Voting Rights Act of 
1965, President Lyndon Baines Johnson said:

       Presidents and Congresses, laws and lawsuits can open the 
     doors to the polling places and open the doors to the 
     wondrous rewards which await the wise use of the ballot.
       But only the individual . . ., and others who have been 
     denied the right to vote, can really walk through those 
     doors, and can use that right, and can transform the vote 
     into an instrument of justice and fulfillment.

  In other words, political empowerment-- and the justice, opportunity, 
inclusion, and fulfillment it provides--comes not from the right to 
vote but in the exercise of that right.
  And that means it is the civic obligation of every citizen to vote in 
every election, state and local as well as federal.
  But before one can exercise the right to vote, he or she must first 
register.
  Mr. Speaker, everyday approximately 12,000 Americans turn 18 and by 
2016, more than 8 million young people will be eligible to vote.
  This cohort, better known as the Millennial Generation, comprises 
approximately one-third of the voting age population.
  The 93 million member Millennial Generation is the largest in the 
history of the United States, surpassing the post-World War II Baby 
Boomers.
  The Millennial Generation also is the most diverse because nearly 
half of all Millennials (43%) come from communities of color.
  Mr. Speaker, next year, in 2016, and for the first time ever, persons 
of color and young people have the potential of comprising more than 
half of the electorate, which means that we could have the most diverse 
national electorate in history.
  Young people are the future of the nation so it is only right that 
they become more active and engaged in the process of electing the 
leaders who will make the decisions that shape the nation's future.
  And that means taking the first step of registering to vote.
  And that is why we observe National Voter Registration Day; to 
increase awareness among all Americans, but especially young people, of 
the importance and mechanics of registering to vote.
  In every Presidential election since the 1964, the voter turnout rate 
for persons aged 18-29 has lagged behind all other age groups.
  For example, in 2012 almost half (42%) of such persons were not 
registered to vote and 2014, a whopping 51% were unregistered.
  And only 23% of eligible voters 18-29 actually voted in 2014.
  Although these registration and turnout rates are low, we should not 
assume that the millennial generation is apathetic or disinterested in 
the public affairs of the nation.
  It is significant that in 2014, 87 percent of Millennials made a 
local, national, or global difference by donating money or volunteering 
time with a charitable or social change organization.
  But Millennials are facing challenges unknown to the Baby Boomers; 
they are the first generation in modern history to face higher levels 
of unemployment and lower levels of wealth and personal income at the 
same stage of their lives.
  Yet, this generation has also observed that positive change can 
result from sound public policy and that it makes a difference which 
officials are elected to make those policy decisions.
  For example, economic policy decisions made during the past six years 
has led to a reduction in unemployment rates from a high of 9.8% in 
2009 to a low of 5.1%, and the creation of more than 8.3 million 
private sector jobs.
  Additionally, during the last six years we have witnessed policies 
and actions promoting and enhancing equality, diversity, tolerance, and 
inclusion advocated, championed, and implemented by persons elected by 
voters.
  But it must be remembered that progress and positive change happens 
by choice, not by chance.
  In a democratic form of government, participation is rewarded in the 
form of responsiveness from elected representatives; conversely, the 
interests of non-participators sadly are all too often neglected or 
ignored.
  And it is important that we observe National Voter Registration Day 
so that everyone is educated and empowered with the tools to make their 
preferences known, their interests considered, and their voices count.
  As President Johnson said:

       The vote is the most powerful instrument ever devised by 
     man for breaking down injustice and destroying the terrible 
     walls which imprison men because they are different from 
     other men.

  In 2008, 6 million Americans did not exercise that power because they 
missed a registration deadline or did not know how to register to vote.
  Mr. Speaker, our nation works best when all voices and all interests 
are fairly considered and that can only happen if all, or nearly all, 
eligible persons register and vote in elections.
  The purpose of National Voter Registration Day is help make that 
happen and that is why I urge my colleagues to join in commemorating 
National Voter Registration Day.

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