[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 182 (Tuesday, December 15, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1793-E1794]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          RESTORATION TUESDAY

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. TERRI A. SEWELL

                               of alabama

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, December 15, 2015

  Ms. SEWELL of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to acknowledge 
Restoration Tuesday, and the need to restore federal voter protections 
for vulnerable communities. Every Tuesday that Congress is in session 
shall be known as Restoration Tuesday, and I invite each of you to 
share constituent testimonials about modern-day barriers to voting.
  I am a proud daughter of Selma, Alabama where 50 years ago the brave 
Foot Soldiers of the Voting Rights Movement dared to challenge an 
unjust system that prohibited people of color from voting in the South.
  Unfortunately, Alabama has not yet fully learned the lessons of its 
painful past. We have witnessed a renewed assault on our sacred right 
to vote in the wake of Shelby County versus Holder. In the aftermath of 
the Supreme Court's decision, Alabama implemented

[[Page E1794]]

one of the most restrictive photo ID laws in the nation. Under this 
pernicious voter ID law, only a handful of photo IDs can be used at 
polling places.
  When the State of Alabama started requiring a photo ID to vote, 
officials claimed it would reduce voter fraud. The reality is that 
voter fraud is rare--but the end results are that more than 250,000 
Alabamians without a photo ID have been disenfranchised. Many of the 
disenfranchised are African-Americans, low-income individuals, senior 
citizens, and the disabled.
  This past October, Alabama lawmakers decided to make this bad law 
even worse by reducing services at 34 DMVs across the state. Driver's 
licenses are the most popular form of ID used at the polls--and 8 out 
of the 10 counties in Alabama that are impacted have the highest 
percentage of black registered voters in the state. How is this not 
discriminatory?
  I fully support the federal lawsuit filed by the Greater Birmingham 
Ministries and the Alabama NAACP, challenging the photo ID law in our 
state. I have repeatedly argued that Alabama's photo ID law is a 
renewed assault on voting rights.
  I also applaud the U.S. Department of Transportation's decision to 
investigate the reduction of services at the 34 DMVs in question for a 
possible violation of Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Alabama 
cannot balance its budget on the backs of those who can least afford 
it, nor infringe upon the civil rights of minorities by limiting access 
to the most popular form of identification used to vote.
  Voting is at the heart of our democracy. It's our most fundamental 
right--and duty--as Americans. I am a proud Alabamian, so it 
disappointments me that for every two steps Alabama takes forward, we 
take one step back.
  Voting should be made easier--not harder--so that no voices are 
excluded and that every citizen can cast their vote without any 
unnecessary or unwarranted barriers.
  Alabama recently reached a settlement with the Department of Justice 
to settle claims that the state did not fully comply with the National 
Voter Registration Act of 1993. An investigation by the Department of 
Justice found that Alabama had largely failed to provide opportunities 
for Alabamians to register to vote when they applied for or renewed a 
driver's license.
  Mr. Speaker, we have witnessed a number of attempts--not just in 
Alabama--but across the country to restrict the vote. I stand before 
you today to urge Congress to restore the vote. Representatives Linda 
Sanchez, Judy Chu and I introduced the Voting Rights Advancement Act in 
June to stop the renewed assault on voting rights, and to restore 
preclearance for states like Alabama where new barriers to voting 
threaten to silence the most vulnerable voices in our electorate.
  We cannot take for granted the battles endured by those who came 
before us, nor can we neglect our own responsibilities to ensure 
liberty and justice. The struggle continues, and each of us must do our 
part to further the cause of human and civil rights for all Americans.
  We must restore the voices of the excluded--Congress must act today 
to restore the vote.

                          ____________________