[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 2 (Tuesday, January 5, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E5-E6]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            REITERATING THE NEED TO RESTORE THE VOTE IN 2016

                                  _____
                                 

                          HON. TERRI A. SEWELL

                               of alabama

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, January 5, 2016

  Ms. SEWELL of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, today I rise on the first 
Restoration Tuesday of the session to reiterate the ongoing and urgent 
need to protect the voting rights of all Americans. On behalf of the 
constituents we were sent here to represent, we must leave our inaction 
on voting rights behind in 2015! Now is the time to Restore the Vote!
  It is completely unacceptable that this upcoming election in November 
will be our first presidential election in 50 years without the full 
protections of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. This Congress has had 
over two years to answer the Supreme Court's call to develop a modern 
day formula for preclearance. We should be embarrassed by our inaction. 
It is past time for this body to Restore the Vote!
  Far too many of our constituents will face new barriers to voting 
this year. From African American communities in my home state of 
Alabama, to Native American communities in Alaska, to Asian American 
communities in California and Latino communities in Texas, thousands of 
minority communities across America will be met with modern-day 
barriers to the ballot box due to our inaction. Any attempt to restrict 
a certain portion of our electorate is a threat to our democracy, 
whether that is through voter ID laws, the closure of driver's license 
offices, or the scaling back of early voting. While these don't appear 
as egregious as literacy tests and poll taxes, they represent modern-
day attempts to achieve the same goal--to restrict the vote of a 
portion of the electorate. This is a very old strategy used by 
individuals in our democracy who wish to silence the voices of entire 
groups of people.
  Because of the Voting Rights Act, approximately 3,000 discriminatory 
voting changes were blocked from occurring from 1965 to 2013. In 1970, 
when the law was expanded to abolish literacy tests and lower the 
voting age to 18, the impact was significant as 9 million new voters 
were added to the roles.
  As caretakers of our democracy, it is our shared responsibility to 
restore the Voting Rights Act of 1965. I urge my colleagues to stand 
with me and renew our commitment towards voter equality. We must pass 
the Voting

[[Page E6]]

Rights Advancement Act and help ensure equal access to the ballot box 
for every American.

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