[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 99 (Tuesday, June 21, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E972]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                SHELBY DECISION . . . THREE YEARS LATER

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. TERRI A. SEWELL

                               of alabama

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 21, 2016

  Ms. SEWELL of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, today on Restoration Tuesday, I 
rise to draw attention to the coming three-year anniversary of the 
Supreme Court Shelby v. Holder decision and the damage that it 
inflicted on our democratic process.
  In 2013, the Supreme Court of the United States handed down a 
decision that simply called for an update of the formula used to 
determine which states required federal preclearance prior to enacting 
legislation affecting the voting process. Shortly after, a number of 
states, including Alabama, quickly passed restrictive laws designed to 
suppress the vote after the Supreme Court struck down Section 4--the 
coverage formula provision making it harder of federal protection for 
vulnerable communities. Since the decision, new restrictive laws have 
been put in place in 22 states--18 of them Republican led--since 2010. 
The Shelby decision made it easier to limit access to the ballot box. 
And so here we are . . . three years later.
  We must accept the charge that the Supreme Court handed to provide a 
new modern day formula to determine when states are covered under the 
Voting Rights Act. In June of 2015 I rose to the challenge and 
introduced the Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2015. Most of the 
Democratic members have signed on as co-sponsors. Just last week, I 
signed a discharge petition on this legislation to force an immediate 
vote on the House floor. Still, there has been much talk on both sides 
with little collective action. We were given this challenge in 2013, 
but somehow, here we are . . . three years later.
  The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was reauthorized nearly a decade ago 
and it is shameful that still today, people across the nation do not 
enjoy full and free access to exercise their right to vote. It is 
reprehensible that still in 2016, Americans across the nation continue 
to face modern day barriers to the ballot box. The time is always ripe 
to do what is right. As we continue to progress throughout this 
election year, it is especially critical that all Americans have fair 
and equal access to the ballot box. Our very democracy is built on the 
ability of every citizen being able to have their voices heard and vote 
counted. No Vote, No Voice. America cannot and must not be silenced.
  After decades of progress that culminated with the Voting Rights Act 
of 1965, we are now going backward. Old battles have become new again. 
The guise of a free photo ID masks the various fees necessary to pay 
for documents needed to obtain the ID. This ``poll tax'' makes it 
harder to vote for those who are barely able to make ends meet. Many 
elderly are unable to acquire documents proving birth due to the high 
number of midwife births. These are real barriers affecting real 
people. Is it our job as Members of Congress to deny them the right to 
vote? Is this obstruction of the vote what we took from the Supreme 
Court instructing us to revisit and recreate a formula? Why are we 
still here . . . three years later?
  My colleagues, we are approaching the first Presidential election 
since the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 without full 
protection of the law against discrimination at the ballot box. We must 
stand on the virtue of a true democracy, constantly striving to remove 
blemishes from our process. A year has passed since the introduction of 
the Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2015, and it is being held up in 
committee processes, instead of being pushed through to restore the 
voting process for all Americans. It is time to band together and 
fulfil that which we have been tasked to accomplish. Delay too long is 
justice denied. The time is now. We must Restore The Vote.