[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 23 (Tuesday, February 9, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E152]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            RESTORE THE VOTE

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. TERRI A. SEWELL

                               of alabama

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 9, 2016

  Ms. SEWELL of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, today is both Restoration 
Tuesday, and the New Hampshire Primary, our nation's first primary of 
the election season. As Americans head to the polls today, let us all 
be reminded that today will be the first presidential primary in the 
past 50 years where Americans will not be afforded the full protections 
of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
  New Hampshire is one of 16 states with new voting restrictions that 
have been implemented since the Supreme Court gutted Section 4 of the 
Voting Rights Act. Unfortunately for voters in New Hampshire, a new 
voter-ID law will be in full effect for the first time today.
  New Hampshire's voter ID law is designed to require those without a 
photo ID to sign an affidavit and have their picture taken, a motif 
clearly designed to intimidate and imply suspicion of criminality. The 
authors and proponents of the law have yet to make the case for the 
need or intended use of the photos. In addition to intimidation, the 
law will undoubtedly lead to longer lines at the polls, further 
inhibiting access for those who have to return to work.
  Congress has had two years to answer the Supreme Court's call to 
develop a modem day formula for preclearance under the Voting Rights 
Act, and therefore prevent such dangerous laws from being implemented. 
But here we are, on the day of the New Hampshire Primary, and nothing 
has been done to restore the vote. Election season has commenced, and 
Americans cannot wait any longer.
  Thousands of our constituents will face new barriers to voting 
throughout this election cycle. From African American communities in my 
home state of Alabama, to Native American communities in Alaska, 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 to be as egregious as literacy tests and 
poll taxes, they represent modern-day attempts to achieve the same 
goal--to restrict the voice of a portion of the electorate.
  I respect the differing opinions of my colleagues on issues of 
economic, energy, education, and foreign policy. However, I cannot 
comprehend how we can disagree on something as American as protecting 
the right to vote. Voting Rights is not a partisan issue. It is a 
pillar of our democracy.
  As the primary season begins, I urge my colleagues to co-sponsor the 
Voting Rights Advancement Act and join me and many others in urging 
Speaker Ryan to bring this bill to the floor for a vote.

                          ____________________