[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 10]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 14203]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




    THE VOTING RIGHTS ACT REAUTHORIZATION AND AMENDMENTS ACT OF 2006

                                 ______
                                 

                    HON. JUANITA MILLENDER-McDONALD

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 12, 2006

  Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD.  Mr. Speaker, I am proud to be a sponsor of 
H.R. 9, ``The Fannie Lou Hamer, Rosa Parks and Coretta Scott King 
Voting Rights Act Reauthorization and Amendments Act of 2006.'' This 
legislation compliments the historic Voting Rights Act of 1965, which 
is considered to be among the greatest legislative accomplishments in 
our nation's history. Often referred to as the ``Crown Jewel'' of 
America's civil rights laws, the Act memorializes those who marched, 
struggled and even died to secure the right for all Americans to vote.
  The Voting Rights Act of 1965 passed just months after the historic 
Selma to Montgomery march and remains a lasting achievement of the 
Civil Rights movement. It helped to change the face of Southern 
politics in ways we could hardly imagine. In Alabama, in the space of 
only one year after the Act became law, black voter registration 
practically doubled from 116,000 in August 1965 to 228,000 in August, 
1966. By 1990, there were more than 7,300 black elected officials 
nationwide, including the governor of Virginia. The Act produced black 
Members of Congress from Alabama, Florida and North Carolina for the 
first time since Reconstruction. Rural black voters in Georgia and 
Louisiana sent black representatives to Congress as well.
  One of the more meaningful provisions of the Act called for the 
placement of federal referees and monitors in counties with a clear 
practice of disenfranchisement. There were and still are subtle tools 
to discourage blacks, other minorities and poor people from voting. 
Local political establishments still use many of the same tactics: 
annexation ineligibility; purging voter lists; relocating polling 
places; the use of official government issued voter-ID cards and 
raising residency requirements. These are some of the discriminating 
practices that undermine the impact of black and other minority voters 
in particular.
  As the Ranking Member of the Committee on House Administration which 
oversees Federal elections, I applaud the substantial progress that has 
been made in the area of voting rights through the 1965 Voting Rights 
Act. However, I also know that we must continue our efforts to protect 
the rights of every American Voter. This can be achieved through the 
reauthorization and restoration of the expiring provisions of this 
vital law.
  Chief among the expiring provisions is Section 5, which requires that 
any change to voting rules in covered jurisdictions be submitted to 
either the United States Department of Justice or the United States 
District Court for the District of Columbia for ``preclearance'' before 
it can take effect. Through Section 5, the Voting Rights Act has 
prevented thousands of discriminatory voting changes from undermining 
minority voters' access to the ballot.
  H.R. 9 will also extend Section 203, the language minority protection 
of the Act. This provision requires jurisdictions that fall under the 
purview of the law to make all election information that is available 
in English available in the local minority language. Thus, all citizens 
will have a fundamental right and opportunity to register, learn the 
details of the elections and cast a free vote. During hearings, House 
Members received substantial evidence from advocacy groups and the 
Department of Justice that language minorities remain the victims of 
discrimination in voting.
  There is no more fundamental right than the right to vote. For nearly 
a century many Americans were denied this fundamental right of 
citizenship. We must continue our efforts to protect the rights of 
every American voter with the reauthorization and restoration of the 
expiring provisions of the Act. H.R. 9 will renew and strengthen the 
Voting Rights Act for another twenty-five years.
  A vote for this important legislation will send a resounding positive 
message to the next generation and generations of Americans to come. I 
urge its passage.

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