[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 13]
[House]
[Page 18995]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           VOTER SUPPRESSION

  (Mr. HOLT asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. HOLT. Mr. Speaker, the national move to interfere with the voting 
rights of eligible citizens is deliberate. In 2011 the number of States 
requiring strict forms of government-issued IDs has nearly quadrupled. 
Why the sudden increase?
  Proponents claim that voter fraud is the driving force; yet there is 
no evidence of this kind of deception. What do they think? That there 
are droves of people sneaking across the southern border so they can 
vote or that there are 15-year-olds trying to sneak into voting booths, 
and so we've got to card them? This is simply discrimination 
masquerading as orderly government.
  The Brennan Center for Justice estimates that one in 10 eligible 
registered voters does not have the forms of ID that are acceptable 
under these expanding State laws. We can't stand by and let big money 
and special interests manipulate the results of elections by enacting 
21st-century poll taxes. Poll taxes were thrown out decades ago as 
discrimination and contrary to processes.

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