[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 154 (Tuesday, September 26, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6138-S6139]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS
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SENATE RESOLUTION 268--RECOGNIZING SEPTEMBER 26, 2017, AS ``NATIONAL
VOTER REGISTRATION DAY''
Ms. KLOBUCHAR (for herself and Mr. Cardin) submitted the following
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Rules and
Administration:
S. Res. 268
Whereas the right to vote is a fundamental right that--
(1) is guaranteed to the people of the United States; and
(2) constitutes the core of the democracy of the United
States;
Whereas countless people of the United States have
struggled to obtain and protect the right to vote;
Whereas each eligible United States citizen who would like
to vote should be able to do so without encountering
unnecessary barriers to the ballot box;
Whereas eligible United States citizens who are 18 years of
age or older have the legal rights--
(1) to register to vote; and
(2) to vote;
Whereas the Bureau of the Census estimates that over 20
percent of eligible United States citizens are not registered
to vote;
Whereas many United States citizens are not aware that they
must register to vote before they may cast a ballot;
Whereas, because United States citizens must register in
order to vote, many political campaigns, nonprofit
organizations, religious organizations, and other groups
conduct voter registration drives;
Whereas despite the efforts to register United States
citizens to vote, the Pew Charitable Trusts have found that
more than 60 percent of adult United States citizens have
never been asked to register to vote;
Whereas, while some States allow same-day voter
registration, many other States require registration as many
as 30 days before the date of the election in which a person
seeks to vote;
Whereas if a voter has changed names, moved, or not voted
in recent elections, the voter registration of the voter must
be updated;
Whereas 1 of 9 United States citizens moves each year,
rendering outdated the former voter registration of the
individuals who have moved;
Whereas updating voter registration ensures an easier
experience at the polls on election day;
Whereas increased voter registration may lead to a higher
participation rate in elections, which would strengthen the
democracy of the United States; and
Whereas the many organizations and individuals who
encourage voter registration and civic participation have
promoted National Voter Registration Day on the fourth
Tuesday of each September, which in 2017 falls on Tuesday,
September 26: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) recognizes September 26, 2017, as ``National Voter
Registration Day''; and
(2) encourages each voting-eligible citizen of the United
States--
(A) to register to vote;
(B) to verify with the appropriate State or local election
official that the name, address, and other personal
information on record is current; and
(C) to go to the polls on election day and vote if the
voting-eligible citizen would like to do so.
Ms. KLOBUCHAR. Mr. President, I rise to discuss my resolution, S.
Res. 268, calling on the Senate to formally recognize September 26 as
National Voter Registration Day.
National Voter Registration Day is a celebration of our democracy and
our Nation's most fundamental right--the right to vote.
Today, thousands of volunteers and organizations in all 50 States are
hitting the streets to register voters. Their goal is to create
awareness about the registration process and register people who may
not register on their own or don't have the time or don't know how to
do it. It is really to reach out to people way ahead of an election.
Last year, their hard work paid off, and more than 750,000 Americans
registered to vote on National Voter Registration Day.
These volunteers understand that voting is a fundamental right, but
not everyone agrees. There are still people who seem to see it as a
privilege that not all eligible voters should enjoy. That is not the
way we should see this.
The right to vote is clearly under attack in the United States. We
have seen discriminatory voting laws spring up across the country, and
those who want to prevent people from voting are making it harder and
harder for people to get to the polls.
I do not see this as a partisan issue. My State last year had the
highest voting rate in the country. And we have seen a number of States
that do things like have same-day registration, mail-in ballots, things
like that, and they tend to have higher voting rates. They are not just
Democratic States or Republican States; they are Independent States.
And when you look at the list, it doesn't necessarily mean that a
certain party is going to win. We had Independent Governor Jesse
Ventura win in our State; Governor Tim Pawlenty. But what our States
share is a higher voter turnout. What does that mean? Well, it means
that people have some trust in their government when they participate.
Even when their candidate doesn't win and the other candidate wins, at
least they know they had a say and that it mattered and that they went
to the voting booth.
That is what I am talking about today because in some States, we have
seen discriminatory voting laws spring up, and they have literally made
it harder for people to vote. We have heard reports of problems with
equipment. We had 3-hour lines in Arizona. We had 100 miles to the
nearest polling station in Nevada and Utah, photo ID requirements in
Wisconsin, where we now know it can really be hard to get an ID in the
first place. In North Carolina, a Federal court found that the State's
laws to prevent voter access--and this is a more conservative court,
the Fifth Circuit--they said the voter laws had been crafted with
``surgical precision'' to discriminate against minorities.
Now we have an administration that is abandoning efforts to uphold
voting rights. In many States, this is a truly bipartisan effort. The
Commission on ``Election Integrity'' looks to be making it harder,
rather than easier, to vote. States are reporting that some Americans
are actually unregistering to vote because of the Commission's request
for personal data from across the country. We have had Democratic and
Republican secretaries of state band together to say this is something
they don't want to do.
Taken together, these efforts to suppress the vote represent a
concerted strategy to ensure that fewer people make it to the polls.
This is not about one party or the other party; this is about our
democracy. Our very freedoms are built upon the freedom to vote.
So what else do we see? Well, we see attacks from without on our
election. I remember the Presiding Officer had an excellent quote on
this matter when he said: One election, it will be one candidate in one
party; and the next election, it could be the other candidate from the
other party. That is why, when we look at interference from foreign
governments, we must also protect the sacred right to vote, and that
means everything from the amendment I have with Senator Lindsey Graham,
which is now a bill, to make sure our cyber security is strengthened as
we head into the 2018 election and make sure that our States have the
ability to protect their own voting equipment. The reports now--I just
found out that in my own State, an attempt had been made to hack it. In
21 States, we have seen attempts at hacking.
All our bill does is say: Let's help the States to shore up their
equipment, to make sure they have backup paper ballots and other
commonsense measures.
This bill in the House--the amendment to the National Defense
Authorization Act--was carried by Mark Meadows, the head of the Freedom
Caucus. That is right. It is a bipartisan amendment across both the
House and the Senate to protect our State election equipment. Our
country is stronger when everyone participates, and that is why we must
protect the election equipment.
We must make it easier to vote. I have one idea: Why don't we just
automatically register eligible voters when they turn 18, maybe when
they get their driver's license or Social Security number. Our States
have that data. They also have a way to crosscheck with criminal
records and other things to make sure these are eligible voters.
Wouldn't that be easier than going out and trying to get everyone to
vote? It doesn't mean you have to vote, but you automatically get
registered to vote, just like you get your Social Security number.
There is momentum for this idea at the State level. Last month,
Illinois
[[Page S6139]]
became the 10th State to pass automatic voter registration. Experts
project that it will result in 1 million people being added to the
registration list. Estimates show that as many as 50 million eligible
voters would be registered if we moved to automatic registration.
Another thing we can do to increase turnout is to allow same-day
voting. In February, I introduced the Same Day Voter Registration Act,
a bill that will allow people to register to vote on election day. This
reduces the burden of voting and ensures that anyone who forgets to
register can go up there to prove who they are and they can get
registered. Fifteen States have this--not just blue States, but red
States and blue States. And they always tend to be up at the top in the
number of people who vote.
We need to restore Americans' confidence in our election process and
our democracy, and we do that by welcoming people to vote.
A few years ago, I was fortunate enough to go with Congressman Lewis
on his yearly pilgrimage--his trip where he takes people to the site of
the march to Montgomery. The weekend I got to go was actually the
moment 48 years to the weekend later. The White police chief of
Montgomery handed his badge to Congressman Lewis and gave him that
badge and apologized. He apologized because their police department at
that time, 48 years before, had not protected the African-American
marchers and those other citizens who were there marching with them.
It took 48 years, but it happened. It was an emotional trip, and it
made you think about those marchers and everything they had done just
to get the right to vote. You see it in other countries where people
will wait in line for a day just to be able to have their say in their
own government. That is really what this is about. It is about a
freedom--the freedoms that are guaranteed in our Constitution. One of
those is that we can all participate. As long as we make the rules, as
long as we are eligible, we can all participate.
Today on National Voter Registration Day, I hope that people will
join me in celebrating the work of those who are out there encouraging
people to vote and, of course, get out there and register yourself so
your own voice can be heard.
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