[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 89 (Tuesday, June 7, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E831-E832]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         A FAIR PROCESS FOR ALL: VOTER INEQUALITY IS A PROBLEM

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. TERRI A. SEWELL

                               of alabama

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 7, 2016

  Ms. SEWELL of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, I rise to acknowledge today as 
Restoration Tuesday and once again, to speak on behalf of those whose 
voices have been silenced by the refusal of Congress to fully restore 
the federal protections of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Two weeks 
ago, I was honored to stand beside fellow colleagues Rep. Marc Veasey 
of Texas and Rep. Bobby Scott of Virginia and other Members of Congress 
to launch the Congressional Voting Rights Caucus. The Caucus is 
committed to restoring the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to its original 
state and restoring the vote to all the suppressed voices in this great 
nation. We will continue to stand together until we achieve our goal 
and make our election process fair for everyone once again. The right 
to vote should be easy for all eligible voters and not made more 
difficult for some of this country's most disenfranchised members.
   It is a sad day in this nation when there are eligible Americans who 
cannot take part in the democratic process that we as Americans are all 
promised, just because they are unable to attain a photo ID. To some, 
this may not seem like a hard request or even a major problem. However, 
to the people in rural Alabama and in many rural areas all over the 
country--it is a tough request and it is a big problem. When your 
district closes over 30 DMVs--the most common location to receive a 
photo ID--this is a problem. When the nearest courthouse or DMV is 20 
miles away and you don't have gas money, a car, or any public 
transport--this is a problem. When you do not have a birth certificate 
because you were delivered by a midwife and are told you are not able 
to vote, even though you are an American, born and raised--this is a 
problem. What is crystal clear is that these new suppressive voting 
laws are crippling the democratic process. This is an election year and 
the right to vote is under attack. An essential element of our 
democracy is corroding, and we indeed have a problem.
   When a county systematically shuts down voting polls from 400 in 
2008 to 200 in 2012 and then plummets to only 60 in 2016, the problem 
is clear. Maricopa County in Arizona forced voters to endure long lines 
and an arduous process to simply have their vote counted--to have their 
voices heard. To my fellow colleagues, I say maybe your district 
doesn't have long lines wrapped around the streets and maybe your 
elderly constituents can easily access their birth certificates. But my 
district and so many others do have real problems accessing the ballot 
box. If one person is denied the right to vote, it undermines the 
integrity of the entire voting process. We cannot forget about the 
millions of Americans who suffer from new suppressive voting laws 
around the country. We cannot sit back and simply say, ``This is not my 
problem.'' When Americans are being suppressed and silenced, it is an 
American problem. This is still the United States of America, and we 
cannot stand strong when a significant portion of our country suffers 
in silence. A democracy means inclusion, not exclusion--America stands 
for equality, fairness and justice for all.
   It is time we make the democratic process, democratic once again. 
Until every voice in this great nation is allowed to speak freely, 
without suppression, I will stand on this floor and speak in support of 
our Constitutional right to vote. I urge my colleagues to join me and 
168 other members in support of H.R. 2867, the Voting Rights 
Advancement Act. It is time Congress restores the VRA.

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