[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 10]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 14211]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                REAUTHORIZATION OF THE VOTING RIGHTS ACT

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                       HON. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 12, 2006

  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in 
strong support of H.R. 9, the Reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act.
  Our values, our freedom, and our democracy are based on the idea that 
every eligible American citizen has the right to vote. They also have 
the right to expect that their vote will be counted.
  It was only 40 years ago that minorities lived under the oppression 
of Jim Crow. As a result, millions of Americans were unable to fairly 
participate in our democracy.
  In this battle for the most basic of rights, many heroic Americans 
were imprisoned, beaten, or even killed in the name of freedom and 
justice. The Voting Rights Act changed the face of this Nation.
  We have made amazing progress over the past 40 years. However, 
progress does not mean that we stop trying. We can not and must not 
give up until every American citizen has the access and opportunity to 
vote--regardless of their skin color, ethnicity, or language ability.
  Despite our progress there are still thousands of cases of voter 
intimidation and discrimination reported at every election. Minorities 
continue to face the uphill battle of misinformation over polling 
locations, the purging of voter rolls, scare tactics, and inaccessible 
voting locations. The reality is that there are still some people out 
there who don't want minorities to vote.
  The Voting Rights Act was not and never will be about special 
rights--it is about equal rights and ensuring the rights of every 
American voter. Now is the time to reauthorize this historic 
cornerstone of civil rights. It is imperative to our rights, our 
freedom and our democracy.

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