[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 8]
[House]
[Page 11375]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     THE FUNDAMENTAL RIGHT TO VOTE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
California (Ms. Lee) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, the right to vote is a fundamental right which 
is at the heart of this Nation. This right is under attack.
  I came to this floor, after the stolen Presidential elections in 
Florida and Ohio, to protest the results of these two elections that 
were filled with voter suppression. Now, years later, 34 States, once 
again, in our map of shame, require voters to present IDs to vote in 
Federal, State, and local elections. And in 15 of those States, voters 
must present a photo ID. Some States require that the ID be government-
issued, mind you, in order to cast a ballot.
  However, for any number of reasons, 21 million Americans do not have 
a government-issued ID required by these voter ID laws; and, thus, the 
fundamental right of American citizens is taken away. Most State 
legislatures have enacted or have proposed legislation echoing similar 
detrimental voting changes. Many of these bills have only one true 
purpose, and that is the disenfranchisement of specific populations of 
eligible voters.
  In California, unfortunately, there is a voter ID bill pending to 
suppress voter participation. It would cost, mind you, $26, $26 just to 
get the required documents to qualify for a government ID. This 
certainly looks like a poll tax to me, which all of us from the South 
know and remember as a way to keep African Americans from voting.
  These voter ID laws have a partisan agenda seeking to deny specific 
populations of people the opportunity to not to vote, which is really 
very shameful before they have an opportunity to elect their 
representatives in government. And we cannot allow this.
  So I have to thank Congresswoman Marcia Fudge, the Congressional 
Black Caucus, and all of our colleagues for their voices to protect the 
right for all citizens across this Nation. And I urge the Department of 
Justice to be vigilant and aggressive in protecting the civil rights 
and voting rights of Americans.
  We go around the world preaching democracy and the importance of 
voting; yet we are going in the opposite direction in our own country.
  Now I would like to yield to the gentleman from Tennessee, 
Representative Cohen.
  Mr. COHEN. Thank you, Ms. Lee. I appreciate your yielding, and I 
appreciate Congresswoman Fudge for bringing this issue to the floor.
  We previously heard from other Congresspeople and particularly the 
distinguished Congressman John Lewis, who was a civil rights hero in 
the 60s and risked his life, as others did, and gave their lives for 
the right to vote.
  We are experiencing today, after International Nelson Mandela Day, 
yesterday was Nelson Mandela's 91st birthday. Next month we'll dedicate 
a memorial to Dr. Martin Luther King on the Mall. When you think about 
Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela and John Lewis, you've got to 
think about voting rights and how far the Nation and the world have 
come in the last 45 years and how long it took to get there.
  And to think that there are impediments being placed in the way of 
people to vote, whether intentional or not, I believe those impediments 
are being placed there intentionally to dissuade African Americans and 
Democratic-leaning groups from voting in the 2012 election, Rovian 
tactics to stop President Obama from being re-elected and from the 
public to pick Democratic Representatives to switch the priorities of 
this House to those that would be more reflective of the middle class 
and people who are yearning for opportunity.

                              {time}  1050

  But whether they're intentional or not, if they have an effect that 
is harmful to voting rights, just like other laws, if they have an 
effect in practice, they are just as harmful and just as wrong as if 
they were intended. And there is no question that these types of 
impediments to require people to get voter IDs, when 25 percent of 
African Americans in this country don't have that type of ID and 8 
percent of Caucasians are in the same limitation of not having that 
type of ID, it's obvious that African Americans and students and others 
are the ones that are designed to be targeted by these laws.
  In my State of Tennessee that passed such a law, to get a photo ID is 
not easy. I went myself to get a driver's license with a photo ID. It 
took 1 hour and 20 minutes, constantly standing in line, no place to 
sit. It was not easy and people will not be able to do it. It will be 
an impediment to them and limit their opportunity to vote. It's wrong.
  I would like to thank Ms. Lee and Congresswoman Fudge for bringing 
this to the American public's attention.
  Ms. LEE. Thank you.

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