[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 87 (Thursday, May 21, 2026)]
[House]
[Page H3713]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    VOTING RIGHTS MUST BE PROTECTED

  (Ms. DEAN of Pennsylvania asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. DEAN of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, Tuesday was primary day in 
Pennsylvania. It was a safe, successful election where thousands of 
voters made their voices and their vote known.
  Yet, it was a dark reminder that voting rights across the country are 
under attack. On April 29, the Supreme Court of the United States 
gutted the Voting Rights Act, opening the door to coordinated attacks 
on Black voters, particularly in the South.
  Emboldened by the Court, Republican Governors and legislatures 
immediately moved to redraw congressional maps in their favor by 
dismantling majority-Black districts. Not since Jim Crow have we 
witnessed such a blatant and disgusting effort to disenfranchise Black 
voters.
  I had the privilege, many of us had the privilege of serving 
alongside the Honorable John Robert Lewis. In times like these, I am 
reminded of his words. He would say: ``When you see something that is 
not right, that is not fair, not just, you have to speak up. You have 
to say something; you have to do something.''
  Voting is our sacred right. It is the lifeblood of our democracy. 
Every one of us must protect it. We must do something before it is too 
late.

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