[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 153 (Friday, September 3, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E951]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          JOHN R. LEWIS VOTING RIGHTS ADVANCEMENT ACT OF 2021

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                           HON. ANNA G. ESHOO

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, August 24, 2021

  Ms. ESHOO. Madam Speaker, I rise today with my strongest support of 
H.R. 4, the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2021. I'm 
very proud to be an original cosponsor of this legislation which 
restores critical protections to the Voting Rights Act of 1965, 
protecting the right to vote for all Americans.
  The disastrous Supreme Court decision of Shelby County v. Holder in 
2013 gutted the Voting Rights Act of 1965 by eliminating the 
requirement that certain states or jurisdictions with a history of 
segregation and voter suppression preclear any changes to their 
election laws with the Justice Department. With preclearance no longer 
in place, dozens of jurisdictions across the country moved to restrict 
access to the ballot, especially for low-income voters and voters of 
color. The Supreme Court further gutted the Voting Rights Act in 
Brnovich v. DNC in 2021 by making it significantly more difficult to 
challenge voting laws that deny or abridge the right to vote based on 
race, color, or language-minority status.
  Today, Americans face the worst voter suppression efforts since the 
Jim Crow era. In 2021, state lawmakers introduced over 400 voter 
suppression bills in 49 states, and at least 18 states have enacted 30 
laws that restrict access to the ballot. These laws suppress the right 
to vote by restricting access to mail-in and early voting; reducing the 
number and availability of polling places; and allowing arbitrary voter 
purges. It's clear that voter suppression efforts are not a relic of 
the past and that we must have strong federal laws in place to protect 
the fundamental right to vote.
  In my view, no legislation could be as important as this because the 
right to vote goes to the very core of our democracy. H.R. 4 was named 
in honor of the civil rights icon and late Member of Congress, John R. 
Lewis who dedicated his life to the sacred right to vote. This 
legislation continues John Lewis' cherished legacy and sends a clear 
message that will resound across our country that any efforts to 
undermine the sacred right to vote will not be tolerated in our 
democracy.
  I urge my colleagues to vote for this historic legislation because 
our democracy depends on it.

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