[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 12]
[House]
[Page 17314]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                             VOTING RIGHTS

  (Ms. CHU asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Ms. CHU. There was a time when women and minorities could not vote in 
this country. People were jailed and even killed for the right to vote. 
But because people fought back, every U.S. citizen gained the right to 
vote--that is, up until now.
  This year, an unprecedented 42 bills were introduced in various 
States to deprive you of that right. States have passed voter ID laws 
that would stop 21 million legal U.S. citizens from voting, including 
your grandmother who was born in this country and lived here for 82 
years. Why? Because she no longer drives and doesn't have a picture ID.
  These laws would stop early voting and voting by mail, so that if you 
know you have to travel out of town or have an operation on Election 
Day, you would be deprived of casting your vote. This threatens the 
very basis of our democracy.
  We must work together to protect every American's right to vote.

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