[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 184 (Wednesday, October 20, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7096-S7097]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                             Voting Rights

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I know we are going to be voting soon, but 
I wanted to comment. I hope that Democrats and Republicans can rise 
above party to come together to protect our precious right to vote. I 
know, in Vermont, we do that. We make it very clear that voting is a 
right. Everybody can vote. We try to make it as clear and open as 
possible. People can be in jail for a crime; they still have a right to 
vote. We do not take it from anybody. You can vote right until the last 
minute. You can get absentee ballots. As a result, we have an 
overwhelming vote in Vermont--one of the highest percentages in the 
country.
  Some suggest, well, you do it to favor one party or the other. I just 
point to the last election. The Governor and Lieutenant Governor are 
elected separately in our State. We elected a Republican as Governor 
and a Democrat as Lieutenant Governor. It went back and forth like that 
all the way across the ballot.
  It is just an example that we just want people to vote. And the 
timing right now couldn't be more urgent. In the wake of the Supreme 
Court's Shelby and Brnovich decisions, dozens of States are trying to 
restrict access to the ballot for tens of thousands of Americans, even 
millions of Americans--minority voters, the elderly, rural voters, 
student voters, the disabled, and others. These are the people we 
protect in my State.
  The threats to the voting rights of any American are threats to all 
Americans. Indeed, they are threats to America, itself.

  I am glad the Senate has taken much-needed action this week on the 
Freedom to Vote Act. It is a vital piece of legislation. It establishes 
commonsense rules of the road for voting procedures and ensures equal 
access to the ballot box for all Americans.
  This bill is a compromise version of the original S. 1, and I note it 
reflects good faith efforts to broaden support for the legislation here 
in the Senate. I look forward to supporting this legislation on the 
floor. I can only hope it doesn't fall prey to the knee-jerk 
partisanship we have seen all too often lately in the Senate.
  I am also proud to have recently introduced the John Lewis Voting 
Rights Advancement Act. That is a bill I have long championed and 
sponsored. This legislation would restore the core pillars of the 1965 
Voting Rights Act that have been gutted by the Supreme Court's damaging 
and strange Shelby and Brnovich decisions.
  But it also would provide critical protections to Native American 
communities across the country, including Alaska Native communities. 
This bill would fundamentally restore the Justice Department's powers 
to oversee and prevent harmful discriminatory changes to voting laws 
and procedures.
  How can anybody stand up and say, ``I am a proud American, but I am 
going to let some of these legislative bodies do things that will stop 
other Americans from voting''?
  If you are a proud American and really mean it, then you want every 
single American--I don't care what their political party is, they 
should be able to vote.
  I am working extremely hard to build bipartisan support for this 
bill, which--especially the past few Congresses--has been 
overwhelmingly bipartisan. I am optimistic we can arrive at a good 
bipartisan compromise that can serve as a starting point for continued 
bipartisan discussions here in the Senate.
  You wouldn't know it if you listened to the partisan sound bites and 
Twitter wars in the modern media era, but this goal--protecting our 
right to vote--was never a partisan issue.
  Our hero, a man I loved and was proud to serve with, John Lewis, once 
said:

       We all know this is not a Democratic or Republican issue. 
     It is an American one.

  Well, truer words haven't been spoken. John Lewis was absolutely 
right. This is an American issue. If you believe in democracy, you 
believe in the right for everybody to vote. For those of us who run for 
elected office, I have always fought in Vermont to make sure everybody 
could vote, knowing that there were some sections of the State where 
there may be a majority voting against me. I have always insisted 
everybody be able to vote. That is democracy.
  The core provisions of the act have been reauthorized five times--
five times. Every single time it was with overwhelmingly bipartisan 
support in Congress. Republicans and Democrats alike voted for it. 
President Nixon, President Reagan, President George W. Bush proudly 
signed Voting Rights Act reauthorizations into law. Those Presidents--
Presidents Nixon, Reagan, George W. Bush--spoke of the profound 
importance of the landmark law for our democracy.
  In fact, just to show how it goes, the most recent Voting Rights Act 
reauthorization in 2006--you know what the vote was in the U.S. Senate: 
98 to 0.
  Some people feel we couldn't get a vote like that to say the sun 
rises in the East. But the fact is, every Republican, every Democrat 
said we need this to make sure Americans vote. It is not a case of 
saying Democrats vote or Republicans vote or Independents vote; it is 
Americans vote and we want all Americans to.
  You know, the toxic partisanship of American politics today has sadly 
obscured what has united us across party lines for so long. The belief 
that protecting our right to vote--the very right that gives democracy 
its name--that is bigger than party or politics. It is the belief that 
a system of self-government--a government of, by, and for the people--
is one that is worth preserving not only today, but for generations to 
come. It is the belief the government exists to serve the will of the 
people, not the other way around.
  If I can just wear my hat as dean of the Senate--one who has been 
privileged to serve here all these years--I ask Senators, let's get 
back to doing things the way we have always done them: reaching across 
the aisle in good faith, meeting each other in the middle, legislate to 
protect the rights of the American people.
  Even after all these years, I still have faith the Senate can serve 
as the conscience of the Nation. I believe it can shine a light on the 
path forward even on the most difficult, seemingly insurmountable 
issues. I believe we can do that again now on the fundamental issue of 
voting rights. So let's get to work. Our democracy--indeed our country 
as we know it--may very well depend upon it.

[[Page S7097]]

  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that I be able to 
complete my remarks prior to the vote.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.