[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 13]
[House]
[Page 18560]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           VOTER SUPPRESSION

  (Ms. WOOLSEY asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, it's bad enough that the people who control 
this body aren't interested in creating jobs for the American people. 
But now, if people want new leadership in the House, if they want a 
Congress that will finally focus on job creation, they're foiled by 
restrictive election laws designed to suppress the vote.
  Guess which populations are disenfranchised by strict photo ID 
requirements and other barriers to political participation?
  It's not the wealthiest 1 percent. It's not the affluent and the 
comfortable. It's not, frankly, the base of the Republican Party. It's 
disproportionately communities of color and low-income families who are 
having their rights undermined and even stripped away.
  These laws, passing in State after State, are underhanded. They're an 
attempt to consolidate political power. They are unfair, undemocratic. 
And voting rights are among the most precious privileges that we have 
as citizens, and they must be protected.

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