[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 131 (Tuesday, July 27, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E826-E827]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           VOTING RIGHTS ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. TERRI A. SEWELL

                               of alabama

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 27, 2021

  Ms. SEWELL. Madam Speaker, I proudly represent Alabama's 7th 
District--the Civil Rights District--which includes the historic cities 
of Birmingham, Montgomery and my hometown of Selma.
  I am honored to participate in the Congressional Black Caucus Special 
Order Hour on the heels of the anniversary of the death of the great 
Congressman John R. Lewis, my dear friend and mentor. I would also be 
remiss if I did not acknowledge the passing of Robert Parris Moses, 
another civil rights icon who was beaten and jailed while fighting for 
the precious right to vote. I am reminded daily of the sacrifices made 
by John, Robert, and the other countless foot soldiers.
  For me, growing up in Selma, under the shadow of the Edmund Pettus 
Bridge, the history of the Voting Rights Movement was not something I 
had to learn in school.
  The Foot Soldiers of the Movement were not pictures or names in a 
history book, they were a vital and vibrant part of the community in 
Selma--they were my teachers, my church members, my piano teacher, our 
firefighters and even my babysitter.

[[Page E827]]

  Their valiant, collective efforts put Selma on the map in a way that 
no one could have imagined, so much so that we still celebrate and 
commemorate those efforts today.
  The movement continues, because it must--because the fight for equity 
is as important now as it was in 1965. Selma is still now.
  Old Battles have become new again. Since the Supreme Court in Shelby 
County vs. Holder gutted the Voting Rights Act of 1965 in 2013, state 
legislatures all across the nation have passed restrictive voter laws 
making it harder for people to vote, especially for Black Americans and 
other minority voters.
  Today, driven by the Big Lie of a ``stolen election,'' opponents to 
our democracy have ramped up their efforts to restrict access to the 
ballot box.
  Just this year, lawmakers have introduced at least 389 bills in 48 
states that would restrict the right to vote. And in 17 states, these 
anti-voter bills have already been signed into law. These laws are 
intended to allow politicians to pick and choose whose voices are heard 
by subjecting voters to:
  longer lines,
  inaccessible polling places,
  strict voter ID requirements,
  broken voting machines,
  purges of voter rolls,
  and voter registration complications.
  These new tactics may not require us to count how many jellybeans are 
in a jar or recite the names of every county in Alabama, they are the 
same old tricks in disguise. Indeed, voter suppression is still alive 
and well.
  As if these bills weren't enough, earlier this month, the Supreme 
Court upheld Arizona's discriminatory, anti-voter laws that were 
designed to target Latino and other minority voters. Specifically, the 
Court found that Arizona's out-of-precinct policy, which requires 
ballots to be thrown out if they were not cast in the assigned 
precinct, and its third-party ballot collection policy, which limits 
who can collect vote-by-mail ballots, were not discriminatory and did 
not violate section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. Simply put, the Court 
got it wrong.
  Arizona's out-of-precinct and third-party collection ballot policies 
created unfair burdens and disproportionately impacted minority voters 
and, as a result, Arizona's election system was not equally open to all 
Arizona voters, particularly for Native American, Hispanic, and Black 
voters. Unfortunately, with this ruling the Court chose not to protect 
the precious right to vote and instead weakened a different provision 
of the Voting Rights Act, section 2, and made it harder for victims of 
voter discrimination to seek justice.
  Let me be clear: Today we face a critical juncture. We are up against 
the most coordinated state-level effort to restrict the right to vote 
in generations and a Supreme Court keen on destroying our nation's most 
important voting rights law.
  Luckily, we have a solution.
  Democrats in Congress are committed to passing federal legislation to 
restore and protect the sacred right to vote for generations to come, 
and I'm so proud to be leading that fight.
  My bill, the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act, or H.R. 4, would 
restore and modernize key provisions of the Voting Rights Act that were 
gutted by the Supreme Court. It would once again prohibit any state or 
jurisdiction with a history of discrimination from implementing any 
election changes without receiving preclearance from U.S. Department of 
Justice.
  The need for Congress to pass the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act has 
never been so urgent. Without federal protections against 
discrimination, states across the country have and will continue to 
enact new voter suppression tactics that subject voters to: longer 
lines; inaccessible polling places; strict voter ID requirements; 
broken voting machines; and more.
  That's why I'm hard at work drafting this legislation with the House 
Judiciary Committee and stakeholder groups. We are on track to have the 
bill ready for introduction in the coming weeks.
  Never did I think the cause for which John Lewis marched for 56 years 
ago--the Voting Rights Act would require congressional action to 
restore its full protection.
  It reminds us that progress is elusive and every generation must 
fight and fight again.
  The legacy of my district requires that I pick up this baton of voter 
equality and continue the next leg--their Cause is my Cause too.
  I look forward to introducing H.R. 4, The John R. Lewis Voting Rights 
Act, because the reality is--we have not yet achieved the America that 
John dreamed of.
  John knew that our Country's best days lie ahead of us, but we must 
seize the opportunities to enact change every day.
  He understood that democracy is not the whim or edict of one person; 
it is a constant, collective act of reinvention. We are a nation 
founded on a call to action--to strive daily for a more perfect union.
  Every one of us has a role to play. As leaders we must lead and as 
citizens we must Vote.
  May we all recommit ourselves to the ideals of equality and justice 
for which the foot soldiers marched. Let our words and actions stir the 
soul of our Nation.
  John gave us his final Call to Action: John said, ``Never give up, 
Never give in, Keeping the faith, Keep your eyes on the prize.''
  Let's get into Good Trouble.

                          ____________________