[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 41 (Tuesday, March 15, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E305]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





          WHY VOTING MATTERS IN THE AFRICAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                       HON. DONALD M. PAYNE, JR.

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, March 14, 2016

  Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, we are here tonight to honor the thousands of 
brave men and women who, 51 years ago, organized and marched over the 
Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama in support of a fundamental 
truth: that every American has the right to vote.
   The Selma march altered the course of history. As Dr. Martin Luther 
King, Jr. said, ``Selma produced the voting rights legislation of 
1965.'' The Voting Rights Act of 1965 banned discriminatory voting 
requirements that disenfranchised African American voters.
   For 51 years, the Voting Rights Act has helped ensure that all 
Americans have an equal opportunity to participate in the democratic 
process.
   But nearly three years ago, the Supreme Court gutted the Voting 
Rights Act, saying it was outdated and unjustified. Since this 
decision, we have seen that the Voting Rights Act is needed now more 
than ever before.
   Today, 30 states require voters to show identification in order to 
vote. And 15 states already require voters to show a photo ID in order 
to cast a ballot. At the same time, Republican controlled-legislatures 
continue their efforts to cut early voting.
   All of this limits access to the ballot, making it harder for 
American citizens to have a say in the direction of our country.
   Restrictive voting laws disproportionately impact minorities and 
low-income communities.
   Upwards of 25 percent of African Americans lack a photo ID, compared 
to 8 percent of white Americans. Moreover, 12 percent of those earning 
less than $25,000 annually lack a photo ID.
   States with strict voter ID laws require voters to have certain 
government-issued photo IDs, like driver's licenses. However, African 
Americans and low-income individuals are less likely to have driver's 
licenses because they are more likely to live in cities and rely on 
public transportation.
   These groups also have a harder time obtaining other valid forms of 
photo ID because they often lack the time and money to track down 
necessary documents, like Social Security cards, and because ID offices 
are not easily accessible to them.
   America is a nation built on the democratic process, and when that 
process is broken for any of us, it impacts all of us.
   People want to vote because they care deeply about where our country 
is headed. They want to create a better life for themselves and their 
families, and they know that their ability to do so is in many ways 
tied to the outcomes of elections.
   As a country, we should make it as easy as possible for people to 
exercise this right. Election officials should not erode the democratic 
principles that they have sworn to uphold. They should make sure every 
American citizen has an equal voice in the democratic process.
   Protecting every person's right to vote is essential to a fully 
functioning democracy. The countless men and women who risked their 
lives to defend that right knew our system of government only works 
when it's inclusive and fair--when it enables all voices to have a say 
in the future of our country.
   So it's our responsibility to make it easier for people to cast a 
ballot. Just as it's the responsibility of those people to vote. When 
people don't vote, not only do they dishonor those who risked 
everything for voting rights; they risk perpetuating policies that hurt 
hard-working Americans. I can tell you with certainty--had we not 
elected President Obama, we wouldn't have the Affordable Care Act, and 
20 million fewer people would have health insurance.
   So it's important for every eligible American to vote. Failure to do 
so can have grave consequences for American families, who deserve 
public policies that work for them, not special interests.
   Voting rights has been historically important to the African 
American community, which was denied its constitutional right to vote 
for far too long. That is why this caucus--the Congressional Black 
Caucus--is doing everything possible to expand voting rights 
protections and increase citizen participation in elections.
   We are calling for an immediate restoration of the Voting Rights 
Act. Democracy cannot flourish until voting rights are reinstated in 
this country. We have broken down many barriers to justice and equality 
since the Selma march and the signing of the Voting Rights Act, but we 
dishonor those accomplishments and the people who fought for them if we 
accept the continued weakening of voting rights.
   Fifty-one years ago, thousands of Americans marched in Selma against 
racial discrimination in voting. That march is ours to continue.

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