[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 150 (Tuesday, August 24, 2021)]
[House]
[Page H4358]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          AMERICANS SHOULD HAVE EQUAL ACCESS TO THE BALLOT BOX

  (Ms. GARCIA of Texas asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. GARCIA of Texas. Madam Speaker, I rise to call attention to the 
importance of passing the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.
  Every American should have equal access to the ballot box. Our 
democracy is stronger when everyone can participate. This should not be 
controversial or politicized, it is about ensuring a very basic right 
of every American.
  Sadly, in my home State of Texas, the GOP has been trying again and 
again and again to strip our right to vote. After three attempts to 
pass a dangerous anti-voting bill, the Texas GOP has made it absolutely 
clear that they do not really want communities of color, seniors, and 
Latinos to vote.
  The original Voting Rights Act was designed to stop this very kind of 
behavior. Voter suppression was wrong then and it is wrong now.
  Madam Speaker, I call upon my colleagues to vote for H.R. 4 so that 
we can strengthen our democracy and build on the Voting Rights Act. 
This bill will ensure that everyone has an equal right to vote.

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