[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 184 (Wednesday, October 20, 2021)]
[House]
[Pages H5684-H5685]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            FREEDOM TO VOTE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Pennsylvania (Ms. Scanlon) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. SCANLON. Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak to the urgency of passing 
the Freedom to Vote Act, which the Senate is considering today.
  The events of the past year have exposed the fragility of our 
democracy, and Congress must act now to protect that most fundamental 
of American freedoms: the freedom to vote.
  In 2020, we lived through the most challenged and scrutinized 
election in American history. But now, even after the result is beyond 
all reasonable debate, radical right-wing extremists and would-be 
dictators are still trying to overturn the 2020 election; stoking the 
flames of conspiracy, hate, and chaos in order to create a dark and 
twisted vision of America that these agents of chaos have embraced.
  Unless Congress acts now, the radical right will keep using the big 
lie told by the former President and endorsed by his supporters to 
enact damaging voting restrictions and prevent Americans who have 
rejected their dark vision for our country from participating in our 
representative democracy.

  In the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, where I live, the majority in 
our

[[Page H5685]]

State legislature has embraced these lies and conspiracy theories about 
election fraud to propose a raft of new laws that would make it more 
difficult for eligible voters to actually vote. We have an opportunity 
to put an end to these anti-democratic tactics and Congress must seize 
it.
  Today, the Senate will take a crucial vote on the Freedom to Vote 
Act, important legislation that is necessary to ensure that our 
government remains by the people and for the people, not politicians.
  Similar to the For the People Act, which the House has passed both 
this term and last, the Freedom to Vote Act sets basic nationwide 
standards for how elections are conducted and ensures that the voices 
of everyday American voters are heard in Washington. It will work in 
tandem with the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act to restore 
critical protections of the 1965 Voting Rights Act and combat racial 
discrimination in voting. Together, these two bills will safeguard our 
democracy from both current and future threats.
  Ultimately, the Freedom to Vote Act is about ensuring that people, 
not politicians, hold the power in our government.
  Let's talk for a moment about what this bill is and what it isn't. 
The Freedom to Vote Act would set national standards to protect the 
freedom to vote, end partisan redistricting, ensure sound election 
administration, and fix our broken campaign finance system.
  These key provisions are widely supported by the American people, 
including majorities of Democrats, Republicans, and Independents. 
People are tired of cycles of chaos, followed by inaction, when it 
comes to our elections. The most basic foundational element of our 
democracy deserves to be treated with seriousness, urgency, and care. 
We cannot stand by as discriminatory voter laws, partisan 
gerrymandering, and dark money drowns out the voices of American 
voters.
  As for what this bill does not do, contrary to what some of our 
colleagues across the aisle--and particularly Mitch McConnell--have 
claimed, the Freedom to Vote Act is not an unconstitutional power grab.
  Our Founding Fathers may not have anticipated all the ways our 
country would change over the centuries and the ways in which we would 
need to adapt, but they were really, really good in anticipating the 
evil that men might do in pursuit of power, including anticipating 
efforts to undermine the most precious value enshrined in the 
Constitution, the right to a government chosen by, for, and of the 
people.
  One of the ways the Framers did this was in Article I, Section 4 of 
the Constitution, which allowed States, in general, to regulate the 
time, place, and manner of elections to Federal offices, like Congress, 
but with a really important exception. The second half of that section 
says, ``Congress may at any time make or alter such State 
regulations.''
  Why did the Framers do this? Because they already knew of instances 
in which State legislators might try to corrupt the election process in 
order to impact the Federal Government, even as they were drafting the 
Constitution. And isn't that where we are today?
  We have States that are trying to make it harder for people who live 
in cities and people of color to vote. We have State legislatures 
proposing to overturn the results of the last election and future 
elections if the party in power in that State doesn't like the 
candidate that the people voted for.
  We have State legislatures proposing to politicize professional 
election staff and procedures with bills that would allow partisan 
legislatures to overthrow the Presidential electors chosen by the 
people and substitute electors who will vote for another candidate.
  That is why it is so important that Congress act to fulfill what may 
be its most sacred obligation under the Constitution to protect the 
right of the American people to chose their own representatives rather 
than letting elected officials manipulate that process to stay in 
power.
  If the Senate again fails to fulfill its responsibility with the 
filibuster intact, then it is time for the filibuster to go.

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