[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 42 (Friday, March 8, 2019)]
[House]
[Page H2590]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            EXPANDING VOTING OPPORTUNITIES FOR ALL AMERICANS

  (Mr. PANETTA asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. PANETTA. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1 so that 
more Americans can exercise their right to vote.
  On election day of last year, voters in my district on the central 
coast of California set a new record for turnout in a midterm election.
  In San Benito County, we saw one of the highest increases in the 
State for folks registering to vote.
  In Monterey County, the majority of registered voters voted by 
absentee ballot and by mail. These are servicemembers who filled out 
their ballot from where they were stationed and also folks at home who 
could take time to thoughtfully cast their vote.
  Unfortunately, on that same election day, voters around this country 
didn't have that opportunity, and they had to go to polling places 
where they faced malfunctioning voting machines and found their 
registration frozen or purged.
  These instances left thousands of citizens without a vote and without 
a voice in our democracy. That is why we need to pass H.R. 1.
  The most important persons in our democracy are not those who hold 
office, but it is those educated and informed voters who put us in 
office. Let's give those types of voters more opportunity to 
participate in our democracy and pass H.R. 1.

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