[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 9]
[Senate]
[Page 12515]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




         LOWER THE THRESHOLD FOR BILINGUAL ELECTION ASSISTANCE

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. CHARLES B. RANGEL

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 22, 2006

  Mr. RANGEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to address the House on the 
Voting Rights Reauthorization and Amendment Act of 2006, proposed by 
the esteemed gentleman from Wisconsin. The bill calls for renewal of 
certain expiring provisions from the Voting Rights Act of 1965, 
including Section 203--the bilingual election assistance.
  As a representative of one of the many multi-ethnic districts in New 
York, I fully realize the necessity of providing bilingual assistance 
to increase voting among language minorities and allow these Americans 
the chance to participate in the democratic process. According to the 
existing provisions of Section 203, the bilingual assistance is made 
available when the population of a language minority group in an 
electoral district is 10,000. This has facilitated voting for over 
200,000 Asian Americans nationwide, and caused a 50 percent increase in 
the Hispanic electorate in the first decade of the adoption of this 
provision.
  Mr. Speaker, the House has agreed to a bipartisan support of this 
vitally important reauthorization bill to ensure a clean passage. Had 
the opportunity allowed, I would have liked to propose an amendment to 
Section 203, lowering the current threshold to 7,500. The effect of 
lowering the numerical trigger to 7,500 would remove language barriers 
for at least 77,955 limited English proficient Asian American citizens 
to vote, including a significant increase in the electorate of New York 
City. In the last election, New York only offered bilingual election 
assistance in Spanish, Chinese and Korean. Keeping in mind the 
diversity and multiethnic communities in New York, it is vital that we 
ensure all our constituents have an easier access to the electoral 
process. I have been a firm supporter of integration and accepting 
immigrants into American society. What better way to make them 
comfortable in their American identity and assist in seamless 
assimilation?
  On another note, under the current law, U.S. Census Bureau determines 
the Section 203 coverage every 10 years. Considering the rapid growth 
of immigrant communities, particularly in cities like New York, San 
Francisco (CA), Los Angeles (CA), Philadelphia (PA), Essex County (NJ), 
Cook County (lL), King County (WA), I believe we should make census 
determinations every 5 years to decide Section 203 coverage.
  According to the 1990 census, the Korean American population in New 
York was short of 250 persons to gain coverage under Section 203. 
Although the community reached the numeric trigger by early 1990s, it 
did not gain coverage until after the 2000 census. More recently, the 
Vietnamese community in San Diego fell 85 persons short of the numeric 
trigger following the 2000 census. Surely, by now the community has 
already surpassed the trigger but will not receive bilingual election 
assistance until after the 2010 census report is completed.
  The Voting Rights Act of 1965 with all its subsequent amendment has 
been immensely successful in expanding access and assistance to racial 
and ethnic minorities during election. It remains one of the most 
important civil rights laws in our country. Mr. Speaker, while coming 
to debate the reauthorization of the expiring provisions in this 109th 
Congress, we must keep in mind the limitations of the Voting Rights 
Reauthorization and Amendment Act of 2006, and how to make it more 
effective and allow our citizens access to one of their fundamental 
rights as guaranteed by the ideals of our nation.
  Finally, Mr. Speaker, I must commend the bipartisan effort to renew 
this legislation and congrats my colleagues on their success in 
allowing for the expansion of the provision of until 2032, for 25 
years--the longest extension in its history. I must also praise the 
various civil rights groups who have been extensively campaigning for 
the renewal of the Voting Rights Reauthorization and Amendment Act.

                          ____________________