[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 14]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 19394]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




            VOTING RIGHTS ACT 40TH ANNIVERSARY COMMEMORATION

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. RUSH D. HOLT

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 28, 2005

  Mr. HOLT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the 40th 
anniversary of enactment of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The Voting 
Rights Act marked a watershed moment in American history, and I hope my 
colleagues will join me in celebrating the many ways in which it has 
transformed our democracy.
  On Monday night, it was my great honor to join Representative Lewis; 
Wade Henderson, the Executive Director of the Leadership Conference on 
Civil Rights; and hundreds of civil rights leaders at the commencement 
of the National Conference Commemorating the 40th Anniversary of the 
Voting Rights Act of 1965. In 1965, one could not have imagined a room 
in Washington, DC, full of elected leaders from various racial, ethnic, 
religious and socio-economic backgrounds. Today there are 81 members of 
Congress that are of African-American, Latino, Asian, and Native 
American descent, as well as thousands of minorities in State and local 
elected offices across the Nation. Due in large part to the Voting 
Rights Act, America's leadership is a reflection of our diversity.
  The struggle for enfranchisement has been fought by citizens 
themselves to obtain and protect their right to vote. Representative 
Lewis and the hundreds of civil rights activists who joined him on the 
Edmund Pettus Bridge in March 1965 showed courage and perseverance in 
the face of violent opposition. Unfortunately, they did not win the 
struggle for total voter enfranchisement on that fateful day in 
Alabama. The shocking and unconscionable murders of Michael Schwerner, 
Andrew Goodman, and James Chaney--killed in June of 1964 for 
registering black voters in Mississippi--did not win that struggle. But 
the sacrifices of voting rights activists over the past century have 
paved the way for the enfranchisement that we all seek. The Voting 
Rights Act has made progress possible, but there is still more to be 
done.
  When I speak with students, I often ask, ``What is the greatest 
invention in history?'' Knowing of my background in physics, they 
usually suggest some scientific invention. In fact, I believe the 
greatest invention is our system of Constitutional democracy. It has 
transformed not just America, but the world, demonstrating that 
peaceful and productive government with the consent of the governed is 
possible. That consent is given by the vote. Thomas Paine wrote that 
the right to vote is ``the primary right by which other rights are 
protected.'' For that reason, assuring the continued effectiveness of 
the Voting Rights Act is of monumental importance.
  Application of the Voting Rights Act faces challenges in the 21st 
century. The 2000 and 2004 presidential elections demonstrated that 
disenfranchisement, though legally abolished, still exists in practice. 
In order to preserve influence of the Voting Rights Act, key 
protections of which are scheduled to expire in 2007, we must address 
voting irregularities that occurred in recent elections.
  Mr. Speaker, I commend the work of the 89th Congress and honor the 
enactment of the Voting Rights Act. The work of voting activists has 
transformed America and helped advance the cause of universal suffrage. 
We must work to preserve and advance its legacy.

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