[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 10]
[House]
[Pages 14024-14025]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   VOTING RIGHTS ACT REAUTHORIZATION

  (Mr. BACA asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. BACA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Voting Rights 
Reauthorization Act of 2006.
  Many brave men and women have fought against bigotry, injustice, 
inequality to secure the voting rights for all Americans. Many of our 
veterans who serve now and in the past, of all colors, of all races, 
have fought for the freedom that we enjoy today. They have sacrificed 
their lives so that every individual has the right to exercise their 
voting right.
  The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is one of the greatest achievements of 
Congress because it has torn down arbitrary barriers to voting 
participation. The VRA gave dignity, pride and hope to many who have 
been historically shut out of the democratic process and oppressed by 
the Jim Crow legacy.
  I can remember my dad, a U.S. citizen, born here in the United 
States, when he first cast his first vote and told us the importance of 
voting. It was during that period of time that we

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knew the importance of voting and that every person, regardless of the 
limited English that they had, and my dad spoke very little English, 
but voted.
  I encourage all of us to vote for the Voting Rights Act on a 
bipartisan basis, and both Republicans and Democrats are here to 
support a strong Voting Rights Act that extends the protection for the 
future generations.

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