[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 1]
[House]
[Pages 1014-1022]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




              CONGRESSIONAL BLACK CAUCUS: VOTER PROTECTION

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 5, 2011, the gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands (Mrs. 
Christensen) is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the 
minority leader.
  Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
  This evening, the Congressional Black Caucus is pleased to have a few 
minutes of Special Order time to again come back to the issue of voter 
protection.
  As we know, many States have either passed laws restricting voter 
participation in elections or are in the process of doing so. These 
attacks, as we said last week, have taken many forms. They've been 
expanding the ban that prevents felons from voting, cutting election 
administration budgets, curtailing early voting, and eliminating same-
day registration.
  Just in November, two members of the Congressional Black Caucus, 
Keith Ellison and Gwen Moore, introduced a bill, the Voter Access 
Protection Act, which would protect those rights and restore same-day 
voter registration. The bill would reverse both the laws that curtail 
early voting and that eliminate same-day registration. Some of these 
laws allow for the intimidation of voter registration groups. Some 
States are imposing strict ID requirements, creating barriers in 
getting the required ID and also putting up barriers to students who 
vote where they attend school.
  Tonight, I am going to be joined by several Members, beginning with 
Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee from

[[Page 1015]]

Texas, to again begin to raise the country's awareness of some of the 
voting restrictions that are being put in place across this country and 
to let the public know that the Congressional Black Caucus, just as we 
did last year, will go across the country to raise awareness of the 
need for jobs. We will have job fairs from which we have actually put 
people to work in several cities across this country. We've matched 
people who were out of work with jobs. We're still waiting for this 
Congress to pass jobs legislation, the American Jobs Act, and many of 
the other pieces of legislation that the CBC and other Members have put 
forth, but this time we're going to go across the country and focus on 
protecting the right of Americans to vote.
  At this time, I would yield such time as she might consume to 
Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE of Texas. Let me thank Congresswoman Christensen for 
her leadership as well as thank our chairman, Emanuel Cleaver. We had 
the opportunity to host him in Houston this past weekend, and he raised 
the issue of the challenges of voter protection.
  I see that we are joined by our colleague from Ohio. Marcy Kaptur has 
been a champion on these issues as well, and, frankly, has seen her 
State be in the crosshairs of trying to protect all citizens' right to 
vote.
  I just want to follow up and say the Voting Rights Act is an act that 
dignifies all voters because its premise is one person, one vote. The 
tenets and the premise of the Voting Rights Act as passed: No matter 
what your background in this Nation, you have an opportunity to vote. 
If we keep with the integrity of the Voting Rights Act, the gist of its 
message is don't block individuals from voting. That's simply what its 
message is.
  This is more than appropriate for which to rise to the floor today 
because this is the month of the birth of Barbara Jordan, February 21. 
Last year was her 75th year, and we're still commemorating it in 
Houston. She was, again, part mother of the Voting Rights Act by adding 
language minorities. By doing that, she spread the coverage of the 
Voting Rights Act beyond the Deep South, which was the original core 
group of States that was signed into law in 1965.
  So I say thank you to the Honorable Barbara Jordan, one of our 
colleagues and a member of the Congressional Black Caucus. I stand here 
today to reject any undermining of the legislative intent and the 
coming together of Republicans and Democrats who voted for that 
extension at the time she was in the United States Congress.

                              {time}  2020

  Now we've come more than 30-some years later. When we reauthorized 
the Voting Rights Act in 2007, there were a lot of rumors and thought 
that we were extinguishing the Voting Rights Act. In fact, I want to 
put all of our colleagues on notice that the Voting Rights Act is 
always, in essence, in the crosshairs or in jeopardy for people who 
believe wrongly about the Voting Rights Act.
  The Voting Rights Act and protecting voters' rights, again, is to 
make sure that seniors, to make sure that the disabled, to make sure 
that those who face hardships--as we recall, there were enormous 
hardships during Hurricane Katrina, when the citizens of New Orleans 
were literally blocked from voting just because of the infrastructure 
collapse; and there were terrible conditions in Alabama and Missouri 
with tornadoes.
  I recall the infrastructure of the 2004 election in Ohio when our 
dear, late colleague Stephanie Tubbs Jones, worked so hard, along with 
Marcy Kaptur, to thwart the breakdown of machines. I remember it well. 
We came to the floor. We took issue with the election because how is it 
that, all of a sudden, you have a breakdown of voting machines, 
interestingly enough, in the minority community?
  So this issue of voter protection is far-reaching. It is not 
necessarily as clear-cut as some would like to say, ``It's for those 
people.'' It's not for ``those people.'' In fact, it is for all 
Americans.
  And right now, we have a dilemma. The dilemma is that we have an 
epidemic. Some 40 States have passed what we call voter ID. Texas 
happens to be one of those States. Ohio was one of those States--and 
I'm not going to give Ms. Kaptur's comments, but I do want to 
congratulate Ohio for the work that they did. And she will tell you, it 
was in the crosshairs. Again, I use that frequently. It was conflicted, 
but it has been resolved; and she will, I'm sure, address that.
  But there are other States who now are subjected to the oppressive, 
depressive voter ID law. In the instance of the State of Texas, might I 
say, that State allows you to use your gun license to vote; but a 
student State-issued ID cannot be used. Elderly people now have to 
travel miles, many of whom were born with midwives and missing birth 
certificates, as was my mother who held onto her voting card that she 
legitimately got until the end of her life. But she could not vote 
today because, try as we may, for Ivalita Jackson to find her birth 
certificate--we went halfway around the world and still were not able 
to secure a certified copy of her birth certificate. I knew she was 
born because she lived. And then I have had seniors in my own district 
in wheelchairs, where they went with their family members to the site 
where they are to get their voter ID, waiting long hours.
  Right now in the State of Texas, we don't have an election date. We 
don't even know what to tell our constituents about getting a voter ID 
because--thank goodness, if I might say--we're now presently being 
reviewed by the Department of Justice whether to preclear or not to 
preclear this voter ID law. I hope that truth will prevail that it is 
depressive and oppressive.
  So I am very grateful that the Congressional Black Caucus will be 
traveling to cities in a variety of regions of this Nation, including 
our Southwest region, to argue vigorously for voter protections and for 
ensuring the protection of all people's right to vote. I hope, as we 
experienced in 2010, that the King Street Patriots who plagued our 
inner city precincts--many of whom I saw--will not intimidate our 
voters. I hope that when this election comes--for poll watchers and 
others that come into our voting areas, minority and poor areas, people 
who have the right to vote--that we will be there protecting everyone's 
right to vote.
  Let me be very clear: Poor is not a respective color. It impacts all. 
And poor people who have difficulty in going somewhere to get a voter 
ID, or in some States paying $40, a new poll tax, or can't get off from 
work, that's voter protection. You can imagine there are people who 
work who are afraid to ask their bosses for the allotted time off for 
them to be able to vote.
  The efforts of the Congressional Black Caucus, joining with our 
colleagues, will stand up for each and every American. I am glad that 
President Lyndon Baines Johnson, a Texan--I was just marveling at him 
today; and his daughter, Luci Baines Johnson, joined us when we honored 
Barbara Jordan's 75th birthday just a few months ago. We will continue 
that with additional commemoration.
  But the key is loving the right to vote, protecting the right to 
vote; and supporting the Voting Rights Act is not solely with respect 
to color. We welcome everyone who will accept the fact that it is our 
birthright, as citizens, to be able to not be thwarted and stopped and 
blocked from going to a poll and expressing our right to democracy.
  Finally, let me say, I had the privilege of working for the Southern 
Christian Leadership Conference; and I might say, it wasn't that long 
ago. It was some years ago, but it wasn't that long ago. And my 
friends, let me tell you, I traveled throughout Georgia, South 
Carolina, North Carolina, Alabama, Mississippi, the core States, among 
others, that started out with Dr. King's great march and great efforts 
to push the Congress and the President toward recognizing how many 
people were left out of the right to vote. As a worker for the Southern 
Christian Leadership Conference in the 1970s and beyond, I would go 
into

[[Page 1016]]

places where people of African American descent were frightened to 
vote, were not registered to vote, were sharecroppers on plantations--
and I venture to say that there are crises in communities like that 
even today. For us to go into those places was almost as if we were 
creating an overthrow of the government.
  I remember very distinctly--and I will say it on this floor--going up 
to a leaning shanty building which was the place where these 
sharecroppers and others who lived in the area were supposed to be 
voting. The voting booth was, if you will, a ragged cloth covering an 
area that you allegedly were going to vote in. Sitting on the front 
porch of this tattered general store was a gentleman sitting with a 
rifle across his lap to suggest no one is welcome here. When I went up 
with my then rather young self, starry-eyed and trying to ask if this 
was the voting site, all I could hear my colleagues say is ``Run; he 
has a gun.'' And the next thing I heard as we were bending down behind 
cars--something I had never heard that close to me--was shots ringing 
out. This is not a joke. This is not something we don't take seriously. 
I'll never forget that day for as long as I live, that someone would 
block anyone from coming to a sacred and somber place to cast a vote 
for a person of their choosing.
  I want to thank the gentlelady for allowing me to participate, 
recognizing that this fight is a fight that we should never give up, 
and we should never categorize that voting rights is something about 
those minorities. Voting rights are American rights, and they're rights 
vested in the Declaration of Independence, which starts out by saying, 
We all are created equal, with certain unalienable rights of life, 
liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
  With that, I yield back to the gentlewoman, closing and saying, the 
right to vote is part of the pursuit of happiness.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today joined by my fellow Congressional Black 
Caucus Members to speak about a challenge facing millions of Americans. 
This challenge skews the Constitutional fabric of our American society. 
This fabric, woven together by liberty, justice, and equal rights, has 
endured tremendous odds throughout the history of this great nation.
  During Black History Month, we celebrate the vast contributions of 
African Americans to our nation's history and identity. Throughout 
America's history, African American men and women have persevered 
through much hardship and prejudice to enrich our national life in 
innumerable ways.
  There are new landmarks to celebrate as time marches forward. In 
November 2008, Americans elected the first African American to be 
President. In October 2011, the new Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial on 
the National Mall was dedicated. On February 22, there will be 
groundbreaking ceremony, on the National Mall near the Washington 
Monument, for the National Museum of African American History and 
Culture, which Congress authorized in December 2003. It is expected to 
open in 2015.
  The theme of Black History Month this year is ``Black Women in 
American Culture and History.'' This gives all Americans the 
opportunity to pay tribute to the role African American women have 
played in shaping our nation--with African American women often serving 
as champions of social and political reforms.
  Many African American families are still bearing the brunt of the 
worst economic downturn since the Great Depression. In September, 
President Obama sent to Congress the American Jobs Act, which would 
strengthen the economy and is estimated to create 1.9 million jobs. 
Over the last several months, Republican obstruction has been blocking 
this bill from moving forward.
  ``Jobs and the economy are the number-one issue for African American 
families, just as they are for all American families,'' commented 
Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee. ``That is why my immediate focus is 
on fighting for a payroll tax cut for 20 million African American 
workers and to extend the lifeline of unemployment insurance for those 
who have lost a job through no fault of their own.
  I will also continue to work for the enactment of other provisions of 
the President's American Jobs Act, that create jobs by helping small 
businesses hire and grow, putting construction workers back on the job 
rebuilding America, and preventing the layoff of teachers, firefighters 
and police officers. These steps are critical to helping improve the 
lives of African American families all across the country.''
  As we celebrate Black History Month let us pay tribute to the 
extraordinary contributions of past generations of African Americans 
and work to reignite the American Dream today and for the next 
generation. We must continue to work for an America that fully lives up 
to its ideals and allows all Americans to reach their full potential.
  Today, Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak to this Body about the need to 
protect democracy, to protect the voice of the American people, and to 
ensure the right to vote continues to be treated as a right under the 
Constitution.
  As we enter into Black History Month, it is important to recognize 
the legacy that the right to vote has placed upon our nation. Black 
History Month is a celebration of people who have gone before us and on 
whose shoulders we stand, of people who stand among us today transfixed 
on a goal to achieve even more. It is a time to pause and renew our 
commitment to realize the progress and achievements of our people and 
to go much further as we write our own chapter; a time to continue the 
legacy of African American History. Today, African Americans, as other 
minorities, know that we have not yet overcome the weight of not being 
treated as full citizens of this great nation.
  During Black History Month, we recognize and celebrate the countless 
contributions of African American pioneers. These honorable men and 
women faced unimaginable hardships and refused to allow the racial 
inequalities and injustices of our past to inhibit their destiny. While 
we recognize these celebrated American heroes, it is important to 
understand that Black History Month was also designed to highlight the 
extraordinary lives of ordinary people who have helped build our great 
nation. Let us celebrate the African Americans who made amazing 
sacrifices in the name of justice and equality in the past and let us 
recommit ourselves to continuing to work for an America that fully 
lives up to its ideals and ensures that every American has the tools 
and opportunity to pursue the American Dream. In the present era, our 
African American elected officials and the presidents of the various 
civil rights, fraternal, business and religious organizations continue 
to encourage our nation to keep its commitment to freedom and equality.


                             VOTING RIGHTS

  Mr. Speaker, I am joined by my colleagues here today to call on all 
Americans to reject and denounce tactics and measures that have 
absolutely no place in this nation in 2012. We cannot turn the clock 
back on the progress made by African Americans, and other minorities, 
throughout the past century. We have made tremendous strides. Recent 
voter ID legislation in states has attempted to turn back the clock to 
disenfranchise millions of minorities in today's America.
  During this Black History Month, we recognize the value that voting 
has placed upon our society. In 1869, Americans voted to elect the 
first African American to the U.S. Senate--Hiram Revels. Also in 1870, 
the right to vote allowed Joseph H. Rainey to become the first black 
member of the U.S. House of Representatives. In 1962, Americans elected 
Augustus Hawkins, the first African American from California, to this 
great Body.
  American citizens cast their ballots in 1968 to elect Shirley 
Chisholm as the first African American woman in Congress. In 1972, 
American citizens exercised their right to vote and elected the 
distinguished Barbara Jordan, who represented the 18th Congressional 
District of Texas that I am now privileged to serve. In 2008, Americans 
cast their ballots for Barack Obama, and elected him to become the 
first African American President of the United States. President 
Obama's historical election has given hope to millions of African 
Americans across the country. In the face of great odds, the right to 
vote has given Americans the power to stand fast for justice and 
fairness, and yield to no one in the matter of defending the 
Constitution and upholding the most sacred principles of a democratic 
government.
  As a Member of this body, I firmly believe that we must protect the 
rights of all eligible citizens to vote. Over the past decades, 
minorities in this country have witnessed a pattern of efforts to 
intimidate and harass minority voters through so-called ``Voter ID'' 
requirements. I am sad to report that as we are beginning 2012, these 
efforts continue.
  African Americans have always believed in the principles set forth in 
the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution. I call on 
all Americans to band together to fight for these principles and 
against efforts to limit the right to vote for our elderly, African-
Americans, Hispanic and Latino Americans, as well as Asian-American 
voters. Let us stand together for the voting rights that are granted to 
citizens of our nation by our laws and our Constitution.

[[Page 1017]]

  I call on Americans to stand against any measures that would have the 
effect of preventing every eligible citizen from being able to vote. 
Voting ensures active participation in democracy. The most effective 
way to curb tactics of intimidation and harassment is to vote.


                           VOTING RIGHTS ACT

  Never in the history of our nation, has the effect of one person, one 
vote, been more important. Our history has taught us that denying the 
right to vote based on race, gender or class is a blemish on the 
democratic principles that we all value. The Voting Rights Act (VRA) 
was a reaction to the actions of our past and a way to pave the road to 
a new future.
  The VRA was adopted in 1965 and was extended in 1970, 1975, and 1982. 
This legislation is considered the most successful piece of civil 
rights legislation ever adopted by the United States Congress. The Act 
was due for reauthorization in the 2nd session of the 108th Congress. 
The 108th voted to continue to protect voting rights for all Americans 
in the future.
  Under the VRA, states with a long history of voting discrimination 
must obtain the approval of the Justice Department or the D.C. District 
Court to change their voting practices. In 2006, Congress passed 
legislation that continued to grant all Americans the right to vote. 
Four states with new voter identification mandates, including my home 
state of Texas, South Carolina, Mississippi, and Alabama, are required 
under the Voting Rights Act to have these voting changes pre-cleared by 
either the Department of Justice (DOJ) or a panel of federal judges. 
Before they may be implemented, DOJ must certify that these laws do not 
have the purpose or effect of restricting voting by racial or language 
minority groups.
  No right is more fundamental than the right to vote. It is protected 
by more constitutional amendments than any other right we enjoy as 
Americans. Broad political participation ensures the preservation of 
all our other rights and freedoms. State laws that impose new 
restrictions on voting, however, undermine our democracy by impeding 
access to the polls and reducing the number of Americans who vote and 
whose votes are counted.


                CURRENT PRACTICES OF DISENFRANCHISEMENT

  There have been several restrictive voting bills considered and 
approved by states in the past several years. The most commonly 
advanced initiatives are laws that require voters to present photo 
identification when voting in person. Additionally, states have 
proposed or passed laws to require proof of citizenship when 
registering to vote; to eliminate the right to register to vote and to 
submit a change of address within the same state on Election Day; to 
shorten the time allowed for early voting; to make it more difficult 
for third-party organizations to conduct voter registration; and even 
to eliminate a mandate on poll workers to direct voters who go to the 
wrong precinct.
  A new crop of GOP governors and state legislators has passed a series 
of seemingly disconnected measures that could prevent millions of 
students, minorities, immigrants, ex-convicts and the elderly from 
casting ballots. Republicans have long tried to drive Democratic voters 
away from the polls. In a systematic campaign 38 states introduced 
legislation this year designed to impede voters at every step of the 
electoral process.
  A dozen states have approved new obstacles to voting. Kansas and 
Alabama now require would-be voters to provide proof of citizenship 
before registering. Florida and Texas made it harder for groups like 
the League of Women Voters to register new voters. Maine repealed 
Election Day voter registration, which had been on the books since 
1973. Florida, Georgia, Ohio, Tennessee and West Virginia--cut short 
their early voting periods. Florida and Iowa barred all ex-felons from 
the polls, disenfranchising thousands of previously eligible voters. 
And 6 states controlled by Republican governors and legislatures--
Alabama, Kansas, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Wisconsin--will 
require voters to produce a government-issued ID before casting 
ballots.
  Furthermore, 6 states have introduced legislation to impose new 
restrictions on voter registration drives run by groups like Rock the 
Vote and the League of Women Voters. The Republican-controlled 
legislature in Florida passed a law requiring anyone who signs up new 
voters to hand in registration forms to the state board of elections 
within 48 hours of collecting them, and to comply with a bombardment of 
burdensome, bureaucratic requirements. Those found to have submitted 
late forms would face a $1,000 fine, as well as possible felony 
prosecution. As a result, the law threatens to turn civic-minded 
volunteers into unintentional criminals.
  Florida and Ohio--which now have conservative Republican governors--
have shortened the time for early voting for 2012. Early voting will be 
cut from 14 to 8 days in Florida and from 35 to 11 days in Ohio, with 
limited hours on weekends. In addition, both states banned voting on 
the Sunday before the election--a day when black churches historically 
mobilize their constituents.
  The biggest change in election rules for 2012 is the number of states 
requiring a government-issued photo ID, the most important tactic in 
the Republican war on voting. In Texas, under ``emergency'' legislation 
passed by the GOP-dominated legislature and signed by Gov. Rick Perry, 
a concealed-weapon permit is considered an acceptable ID but a student 
ID is not. Republicans in Wisconsin mandated that students can only 
vote if their IDs include a current address, birth date, signature and 
two-year expiration date--requirements that no college or university ID 
in the state currently meets. As a result, 242,000 students in 
Wisconsin may lack the documentation required to vote next year.
  In South Carolina, the 178,000 South Carolinians who do not have a 
state-issued ID must pay for a passport or a birth certificate to 
obtain the free state-issued ID now required to vote. Under the new 
law, many elderly black residents--who were born at home in the 
segregated South and never had a birth certificate--must now go to 
family court to prove their identity.


                               PROPONENTS

  The proponents of voter identification legislation suggest that there 
is extensive voter fraud when Americans go to the polls. Mr. Speaker, I 
am here to lay that claim to rest. Laws requiring photo identification 
to vote are a ``solution'' in search of a problem. The fact is voter 
fraud in this United States is rare. There is no credible evidence that 
in-person impersonation voter fraud--the only type of fraud that photo 
IDs could prevent--is even a minor problem. Multiple studies have found 
that almost all cases of alleged in-person impersonation voter 
``fraud'' are actually the result of a voter making an inadvertent 
mistake about their eligibility to vote, and that even these mistakes 
are extremely infrequent.
  A major probe by the Justice Department between 2002 and 2007 failed 
to prosecute a single person for going to the polls and impersonating 
an eligible voter, which the anti-fraud laws are supposedly designed to 
stop. Out of the 300 million votes cast in that period, federal 
prosecutors convicted only 86 people for voter fraud--and many of the 
cases involved immigrants and former felons who were simply unaware of 
their ineligibility.
  According to Barnard political scientist Lorraine Minnite, most 
instances of improper voting involve registration and eligibility, such 
as voters filling out registration forms incorrectly or a person with 
felony convictions attempting to register. Neither of those issues 
would be prevented by a state photo ID requirement. According to George 
Washington University law professor Spencer Overton, a former member of 
the Commission on Federal Election Reform, ``a photo ID requirement 
would prevent over 1,000 legitimate votes (perhaps over 10,000 
legitimate votes) for every single improper vote prevented.''
  There are people who believe that voter ID is required because 
perpetrators of voting fraud do not face serious legal consequences. 
Both federal and state laws include stiff fines and imprisonment for 
voter fraud. Under federal law, perpetrators face up to five years in 
prison and a fine of $10,000 for each act of fraud. In Alabama, voter 
fraud is punishable by up to two years in prison and a $2,000 fine. In 
Wisconsin, the punishment is up to 3\1/2\ years in prison and a $10,000 
fine. Missouri imposes a penalty of up to five years in prison and a 
$10,000 fine. And in Texas, the maximum prison sentence is 10 years.
  Mr. Speaker, proponents further suggest that requiring ID at the 
polls impact all voters equally. Well, Mr. Speaker, the truth is State 
photo ID restrictions disproportionately impact African Americans, 
Latinos, young voters, people over 65 and people with disabilities. The 
Advancement Project showed that 11 percent of eligible voters, or about 
21 million people, don't have updated, state-issued photo IDs: 25 
percent of which are African Americans, 15 percent of those earning 
less than $35,000, 18 percent of citizens age 65 or older and 20 
percent of voters age 18 to 29.
  Mr. Speaker, those who wish to restrict the right of Americans to 
vote believe that new voter ID laws are cheap and easy for states and 
citizens. Voter ID laws deny the right to vote to thousands of 
registered voters who do not have, and, in many instances, cannot 
obtain the limited identification states accept for voting. Many of 
these Americans cannot afford to pay for the required documents needed 
to secure a government issued photo ID. As such, these laws impede 
access to the polls and are contrary to the fundamental right to vote.

[[Page 1018]]

  The Advancement Project's report ``What's Wrong With This Picture?'' 
shows that taxpayers will bear the costs of these measures--more than 
$20 million in North Carolina, for example, to educate voters and 
provide free IDs to those without them, as the state's law requires. 
For voters, even if an ID is free, getting the documents to obtain it 
can be expensive and difficult.
  Many states require at least four original forms of identification to 
obtain a photo ID--documents such as a certified birth certificate, 
marriage or divorce record, adoption record, a Social Security card, or 
naturalization papers. A birth certificate in Texas costs $22, a U.S. 
passport costs as much as $145 and naturalization papers can run up to 
$200. People born out of state who lack transportation, work multiple 
jobs, have disabilities, or are home-bound or poor cannot access or 
afford these documents.
  Now that many states have reduced hours and locations of motor 
vehicle departments and other agencies because of budget cutbacks, 
getting an ID can be a battle. In Wisconsin, 25 percent of DMV offices 
are open one day a month or less, and fewer than half are open at least 
20 hours a week. What can prospective voters who have to work or care 
for their children during these limited hours do but go without?
  Mr. Speaker, current voter ID laws are based on partisan politics. 
The push for photo ID laws and other restrictions is largely championed 
by Republicans and conservative groups. Record rates of voter 
registration and turnout among young and minority voters in 2008 
affected federal races across the nation, as about two-thirds of new 
voters registered as Democrats in the 29 states that record party 
affiliation. The 2010 midterms put more conservatives in office who 
want to combat this trend. The right-wing American Legislative Exchange 
Council, for example, drafted and promoted photo ID legislation that 
was introduced in more than 30 states.


                      IMPACT OF REQUIRING VOTER ID

  These recent changes are on top of the disfranchisement laws in 
states that deprive minorities of their political voice. In total, more 
than 21 million Americans of voting age lack documentation that would 
satisfy photo ID laws and a disproportionate number of these Americans 
are low-income, racial and ethnic minorities, and the elderly. Minority 
citizens are less likely to possess government-issued photo 
identification. African-American citizens also disproportionately lack 
photo identification. Nearly 25% of African-American voting-age 
citizens have no current government-issued photo ID, compared to 8% of 
white voting-age citizens. Using 2000 census figures, this amounts to 
more than 5.5 million adult African-American citizens without photo 
identification. Further, about 16% of Hispanic voting-age citizens have 
no current government-issued photo ID.
  It is important to focus on both expanding the franchise and ending 
practices which actually threaten the integrity of the elections, such 
as improper purges of voters, voter harassment, and distribution of 
false information about when and where to vote. None of these issues, 
however, are addressed or can be resolved with a photo ID requirement.
  Furthermore, requiring voters to pay for an ID, as well as the 
background documents necessary to obtain an ID in order to vote is 
tantamount to a poll tax. Although some states issue IDs for free, the 
birth certificates, passports, or other documents that are required to 
secure a government-issued ID cost money, and many Americans simply 
cannot afford to pay for them. In addition, obtaining a government-
issued photo ID is not an easy task for all members of the electorate.
  According to the Brennan Center for Justice, citizens with 
comparatively low incomes are less likely to possess photo 
identification. Citizens earning less than $35,000 per year are more 
than twice as likely to lack current government-issued photo 
identification as those earning more than $35,000. At least 15 percent 
of voting-age American citizens earning less than $35,000 per year do 
not have a valid government-issued photo ID. Low-income individuals who 
lack the funds to pay for documentation, people with disabilities with 
limited access to transportation, and elderly citizens are less likely 
to possess government-issued photo identification. Nearly 18% of 
American citizens age 65 and above do not have current government-
issued photo ID. Using 2005 census estimates, this amounts to more than 
6 million senior citizens.
  Americans, who never had a birth certificate and cannot obtain 
alternate proof of their birth in the U.S., are among those who face 
significant or insurmountable obstacles to getting the photo ID needed 
to exercise their right to vote.
  In addition, women who have changed their names due to marriage or 
divorce often experience difficulties with identity documentation, as 
did Andrea, who recently moved from Massachusetts to South Carolina and 
who, in the span of a month, spent more than 17 hours online and in 
person trying without success to get a South Carolina driver's license.
  Instances of voter intimidation are not long ago and far away. Just 
last year I sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to draw 
his attention to several disturbing instances of voter intimidation 
that had taken place in Houston. In a single week there were at least 
15 reports of abuse of voter rights throughout the city of Houston.
  As a Senior Member of the House Judiciary Committee, I called for an 
immediate investigation of these instances. Many of these incidents of 
voter intimidation were occurring in predominately minority 
neighborhoods and have been directed at African-Americans and Latinos. 
It is unconscionable to think that anyone would deliberately employ the 
use of such forceful and intimidating tactics to undermine the 
fundamental, Constitutional right to vote. However, such conduct has 
regrettably occurred in Houston, and I urge you to take appropriate 
action to ensure that it does not recur.
  A long, bitter, and bloody struggle was fought for the Voting Rights 
Act of 1965 so that all Americans could enjoy the right to vote, 
regardless of race, ethnicity, or national origin. Americans died in 
that fight so that others could achieve what they had been forcefully 
deprived of for centuries--the ability to walk freely and without fear 
into the polling place and cast a voting ballot.


                                VOTER ID

  An election with integrity is one that is open to every eligible 
voter. Restrictive voter ID requirements degrade the integrity of our 
elections by systematically excluding large numbers of eligible 
Americans.
  I do not argue with the notion that we must prevent individuals from 
voting who are not allowed to vote. Yet a hidden argument in this bill 
is that immigrants may ``infiltrate'' our voting system. Legal 
immigrants who have successfully navigated the citizenship maze are 
unlikely to draw the attention of the authorities by attempting to 
register incorrectly. Similarly, undocumented immigrants are even less 
likely to risk deportation just to influence an election.
  If for no other reason than after a major disaster be it earthquakes, 
fires, floods or hurricanes, we must all understand how vulnerable our 
system is. Families fleeing the hurricanes and fires suffered loss of 
property that included lost documents. Compounding this was the 
devastation of the region, which virtually shut down civil services in 
the area. For example, New Orleans residents after Hurricane Katrina 
were scattered across 44 states. These uprooted citizens had difficulty 
registering and voting both with absentee ballots and at satellite 
voting stations. As a result, those elections took place fully 8 months 
after the disaster, and it required the efforts of non-profits, such as 
the NAACP, to ensure that voters had the access they are 
constitutionally guaranteed.
  We need to address the election fraud that we know is occurring, such 
as voting machine integrity and poll volunteer training and competence. 
After every election that occurs in this country, we have solid 
documented evidence of voting inconsistencies and errors. In 2004, in 
New Mexico, malfunctioning machines mysteriously failed to properly 
register a presidential vote on more than 20,000 ballots. 1 million 
ballots nationwide were flawed by faulty voting equipment--roughly one 
for every 100 cast.
  Those who face the most significant barriers are not only the poor, 
minorities, and rural populations. 1.5 million college students, whose 
addresses often change, will also have difficulty providing 
documentation.
  In fact, newly married individuals face significant barriers to 
completing a change in surname. For instance, it can take 6-8 weeks to 
receive the marriage certificate in the mail, another 2 weeks (and a 
full day waiting in line) to get the new Social Security card, and 
finally 3-4 weeks to get the new driver's license. There is a 
significant possibility that this bill will also prohibit newlyweds 
from voting if they are married within 3 months of Election Day.
  The right to vote is a critical and sacred constitutionally protected 
civil right. To challenge this is to erode our democracy, challenge 
justice, and mock our moral standing. I urge my colleagues to join me 
in dismissing this crippling legislation, and pursue effective 
solutions to the real problems of election fraud and error. We cannot 
let the rhetoric of an election year destroy a fundamental right upon 
which we have established liberty and freedom.
  Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. I thank you for coming and for making that very 
strong presentation and for sharing

[[Page 1019]]

that story with us which lets us know that, not so very long ago, 
people were really blocked from voting and took their lives in their 
hands just trying to exercise that simple right, the right to vote.
  I would like to now yield to our colleague from Ohio, Congresswoman 
Marcy Kaptur.

                              {time}  2030

  Ms. KAPTUR. I want to thank Dr. Christensen for holding this very, 
very important Special Order as we begin Black History Month here in 
the United States and say how proud I am to serve with her, her path-
breaking work in health care, leading us to coverage for all, to 
Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee. I had not heard that story, what she 
personally has lived and helped push America forward to a new day. It 
is my distinct pleasure and honor to be here with them tonight.
  I wanted to participate in this Special Order because of what we are 
going through in Texas and Ohio and Florida, and around this country 
with redistricting. It is true that Ohio, because the population hasn't 
grown, has to lose two seats. But we have seen a redistricting like 
none other. I wanted to put some of this on the record because I think 
scholars around the country and young people studying could really take 
a look at what has happened in this recent redistricting that I think 
has a subtle and very insidious agenda that isn't immediately apparent 
to the eye.
  I had a woman come up to me yesterday in a church in Ohio. She 
happened to be an African American woman. She said: I want to ask you a 
question, Congresswoman. Why is my voting location changed all of the 
time? Why is my precinct flipped all the time?
  I said: You know, ma'am, I know something is going on here that isn't 
good. Ohio was never technically a voting rights State, but there's 
something strange. And I thought I would put on the record some of 
what's strange about what's happening in Ohio.
  Individuals like herself constantly have to go to a different 
precinct. She never moved her house. She lives in the same place. A lot 
of people maybe don't realize that their precinct has been changed, and 
some percent of people will not go to the other precinct. It may be a 
small percent. It may be 0.02 percent; but you add that up around a 
State that votes 50/50, and you begin to see a fall off in voting.
  I can tell you this, and I wish to place this on the Nation's record 
tonight: for every Republican Congress Member from Ohio who sits here, 
and they have the majority, 13 out of 18, their home county was kept 
whole. Every single one. But for every Democrat--there are only five of 
us out of 18--their home county was crashed and broken up into parts.
  Every urban county, if you look around at the five of us who are 
here: Cuyahoga has been split into four parts in a very strange way; 
Lucas County is missing its western half now; you go down to Akron, you 
look at that county, cities like Parma, Parma, Ohio, one of the largest 
cities in Ohio, sliced in half. What do those places all have in 
common? They all happen to be urban areas. They have mixed populations. 
They have diversity. They like people who aren't like themselves. They 
like the diversity of life. Those communities have been hacked apart in 
Ohio.
  Our colleague, Congresswoman Betty Sutton, 42 percent of the 
precincts in her new district are broken. That means booth workers can 
make mistakes. More than one Member of Congress is running in that 
precinct. Sometimes as many as three are running in the same precinct. 
When that goes on the ballot, do you realize how much confusion, even 
if everybody has an IQ of a gazillion, somebody is going to go in the 
booth and put the wrong vote on the ballot because of the confusion 
with so many Members running in the same precinct.
  Booth workers will make mistakes. And just like the woman I mentioned 
at the beginning whose precinct keeps changing although she hasn't 
moved, there is a certain percentage of error involved in that. And 
it's happening in the Democratic areas, not the Republican.
  So I would say this: I would ask those who are listening tonight to 
think about really peeling apart the layers of this redistricting in 
places like Texas and Ohio and look at the subtle nature of the type of 
gerrymandering that's being done around the country. Communities are 
being hacked apart. Communities of interest are being hacked apart.
  Doesn't Parma, Ohio, have the right to be its own city? It's hard 
enough to get things done across communities where needs are great. We 
have so many people losing their homes. There's all kinds of problems 
in this country with the unemployment, but we make it harder for 
communities to hold together. There seems to be something un-American 
about that. There seems to be something really ugly, something very 
insidious when it pulls people apart rather than holds them together.
  We have one Congressman, actually a Republican from the other side of 
the aisle. Ohio has 88 counties. Do you know how many counties they put 
in his district, 20; 20 out of 88. That means 60 county commissioners. 
Can you imagine how many mayors? Unbelievable. This makes no sense. But 
it's what happened. And I am very concerned, as my colleagues are, 
about what happens to people who are elderly, who can't travel far, who 
sometimes have trouble seeing.
  And as you start switching things around and you make it more 
difficult, even I notice the way they print the absentee ballots in 
Ohio--I'm glad to have them early--but you need a magnifying glass to 
see the letters when we know that the population in many of these urban 
areas are a high percentage of senior citizens.
  There's something very un-American, something very unfriendly about 
what is going on here. It makes me think about the Voting Rights Act 
and maybe strengthening it and taking a particular look at urban areas 
that are being broken up in very, very strange ways. You can't even 
explain, the lines don't even make any sense where they are putting 
them in urban areas. It's like they are shattering communities of 
interest. There's something really wrong about that.
  I wanted to say also to Congresswoman Christensen, in Ohio we've had 
a lot of great African Americans. I've had the opportunity to serve 
with some of them here, and I would like to place in the Record tonight 
the names of some of them in honor of Black History Month.
  One of the individuals I would like to talk about is a great writer, 
Toni Morrison, a woman who was born in Lorain, Ohio, now part of the 
Ninth Congressional District. We know how important Black History Month 
is because it's the time of the year to reflect and be thankful for the 
countless contributions of African Americans like Ms. Morrison who have 
made enduring contributions to American life and to world history.
  This year's Black History Month theme is ``Black Women in American 
Culture and History.'' And I would say this Caucasian woman is very 
proud to join my colleagues of color and say that I'm glad it's all 
women down here tonight for the moment because, really, our voices need 
to be magnified, and certainly Ms. Morrison did that. In honoring 
women, we honor her. She is exactly the type of person we should be 
recognizing, given this Black History Month's theme, for her work in 
American literature.
  She is a Pulitzer Prize-winning author and became the first black 
woman to win the Nobel Prize in literature, making her the 90th Nobel 
Laureate in literature. She came from Lorain, Ohio. She didn't come 
from the places that are known as the cultural meccas. She came from a 
tough place where people work hard for a living. She was born during 
the Great Depression in that working-class city. Ms. Morrison showed an 
interest in literature at an early age. Through hard work, she received 
degrees from Howard University here and Cornell. She subsequently 
taught at Texas Southern University, Howard University, Yale, and 
Princeton. Her contributions to American

[[Page 1020]]

history come from her six novels. During her Nobel Prize ceremony, the 
Permanent Secretary of the Academy said: ``In her depictions of the 
world of the black people, in life as in legend, Toni Morrison has 
given the Afro-American people their history back, piece by piece.''
  Mr. Speaker let us take time to fully recognize the contributions of 
Toni Morrison and the many others during this year's Black History 
Month. While the United States is facing many challenges today, it is 
incumbent upon us to ensure that the work of leaders such as Tony 
Morrison do not go unnoticed.
  I just wanted to mention, also, she penned a story about a girl from 
her childhood who prayed for blue eyes. I happen to have blue eyes. I 
never thought about that. She said this was the basis for her first 
novel, ``The Bluest Eye,'' published in 1970. I have to say I admire 
the African American people because I always wanted curly hair, and I 
never really had it. So you see, we learn from one another and 
appreciate from one another.
  In concluding tonight, let me say that I wish to place in the Record 
from the Cleveland Plain Dealer a wonderful story honoring the 
achievements of great African Americans who have come from our part of 
America. There are a few whose names I would like to read into the 
Record: Langston Hughes, playwright, poet and writer; our dear beloved 
colleague, Stephanie Tubbs Jones, the first black woman to be elected 
to Congress from Ohio. I miss her to this day. I have her picture in my 
office. Halle Berry, the first black woman to win an Academy Award as 
best actress. Think about that.

                              {time}  2040

  Carl B. Stokes was the first black mayor--first black mayor--of a 
major American city, and it was Cleveland, Ohio--Cleveland, Ohio. We 
are so proud of that. And I was proud to serve with his bother, Louis 
Stokes, who was here for so many years, who preceded me on the 
Appropriations Committee.
  I could go on, Mr. Speaker. There are others who wish to speak 
tonight. But I have to say, I'm proud to be an Ohioan, one of the 
States that was always a free State, home of the Underground Railroad 
as it came through, and people disembarked and escaped for their lives 
to places like Canada through northern Ohio, through the communities 
that I am privileged to represent now.
  I am very proud to stand with my colleague, Dr. Christensen, here 
tonight, in honoring all Americans, certainly in this Black History 
Month, and what they have taught us over our centuries about full 
representation and the decent and fair treatment of people. What a 
legacy they have given and continue to create for our country. I want 
to thank the gentlelady for yielding to me this evening.

          [From Cleveland.com--The Plain Dealer, Feb. 2, 2012]

 Toni Morrison, Author, Won Pulitzer, Nobel Prizes: Black History Month

                         (By Ellen Kleinerman)

       As part of Black History Month, we recognize Toni Morrison, 
     a Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist and the first black woman 
     to win a Nobel Prize in literature.
       Morrison, born Chloe Anthony Wofford in 1931, grew up 
     during the Great Depression in a working-class neighborhood 
     in Lorain, where European immigrants, Mexicans and Southern 
     blacks lived. As a child, Morrison listened intently to the 
     stories her parents, Ramah and George Wofford, told of the 
     traditions and struggles of blacks in the South.
       Morrison earned a B.A. at Howard University in 1953 and an 
     M.A. at Cornell University in 1955 in humanities. At Howard, 
     she met Jamaican architect Harold Morrison. They married in 
     1958, had two sons and divorced six years later. For a 
     temporary escape from her unhappy marriage, Morrision joined 
     a small writer's group, where she penned a story about a girl 
     from her childhood who prayed for blue eyes. This was the 
     basis for her first novel ``The Bluest Eye,'' published in 
     1970.
       Morrison worked for Random House publishing and taught at 
     several universities including Yale and Princeton.
       Her novel ``Beloved,'' about a captured slave woman who 
     tried to kill her children rather than see them live as 
     slaves, won the Pulitzer in 1988. She won the Nobel Prize in 
     1993
                                  ____


         [From Cleveland.com--[The Plain Dealer, Feb. 2, 2012]

                         Honoring achievements

       As part of Black History Month, The Plain Dealer will 
     recognize accomplishments of the region's black community. 
     The newspaper will profile important people, places and 
     events daily through February.
       This is the second year that the paper has published a 
     monthlong series of profiles for Black History Month. Go to 
     cleveland.com/specialreports to see profiles from last year.
       Last year's list included:
       Langston Hughes, playwright, poet and writer
       Larry Doby, the first black player in the American League
       Garrett A. Morgan, inventor of the gas mask and traffic 
     signal
       St. John's Episcopal Church, one of the stops on the 
     Underground Railroad
       Stephanie Tubbs Jones, first black woman elected to 
     Congress in Ohio
       Charlie Sifford, first black golfer on the PGA Tour
       Frank Robinson, first black manager of a major-league 
     baseball team
       Jesse Owens, track gold medalist
       The Rev. Otis Moss, Jr., civil rights leader
       Cleveland Buckeyes, Negro League Baseball team
       Thomas Fleming, first black Cleveland councilman
       Jim Brown, Cleveland Browns fullback and NFL Hall of Famer
       Bertha Josephine Blue, taught Italian immigrants English
       John Patterson Green, first black state senator from the 
     North
       Halle Berry, first black woman to win an Academy Award as 
     best actress
       Harry Edward Davis, second black in the Ohio Senate
       John O. Holly, Jr., civil rights leader
       Mary B. Martin, the first black woman elected to the 
     Cleveland Board of Education
       Eliza Bryant, created first facility for aging blacks
       League Park, supported the Negro League during segregation
       Carl B. Stokes, first black mayor of a major American city
       Arsenio Hall, comedian, actor and late-night talk show host
       Jane Edna Hunter, nurse, lawyer and social worker who 
     founded the Phillis Wheatley Association
       Harrison Dillard, Olympic gold medalist
       President Barack Obama's 2008 rally
       Phillis Wheatley Association, helped black women who 
     migrated from the South
       Central High School, allowed black students to enroll 
     before the Civil War
       Karamu House, the longest-running black arts and theater 
     center in the country
       Chester Himes, first black mystery writer

  Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Well, thank you. We appreciate your joining us and 
pointing out some of the inconsistencies that are occurring in Ohio and 
also paying tribute to Toni Morrison.
  We do have one of the gentlemen of the Congressional Black Caucus 
joining us tonight, and that is Congressman Al Green of Texas, a leader 
in his area in the NAACP for many years, and now a leader in the 
Congress and all the time a leader of our country.
  Thank you for joining us, Congressman Al Green.
  Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Thank you very much for yielding to me. I 
greatly appreciate it. And, of course, I want to thank all of the 
members of the CBC for the stellar work that has been done in this area 
of publishing the history of Africans in the Americas, known as African 
Americans.
  I'd like to, tonight, just address a very simple topic that has a lot 
of meaning, the whole notion that great people will always rise to the 
occasion. However, it also takes great people to make the occasion; and 
on occasions such as this, we often mention the great ones: the great 
Thurgood Marshall, the great litigator that he was, winning more than 
29 cases, I believe, before the Supreme Court of the United States of 
America.
  But in talking about the cases that he won, approximately 29 is what 
I recall, we also should remember that there were other persons who 
helped to make the occasion for the great Thurgood Marshall who went on 
to become a Justice on the Supreme Court of the United States of 
America. One such person would be Charles Hamilton Houston.
  A great story about Charles Hamilton Houston, he was the person who 
produced the strategy that the Honorable Thurgood Marshall followed to 
help the NAACP litigate the cases that went before the Supreme Court, 
more specifically, the case of Brown v. Board of Education, which 
helped us to integrate society by way of desegregation.
  There's a story about Thurgood that many people are not aware of. He 
applied to the University of Maryland

[[Page 1021]]

Law School and he was denied access because of his color. And I'm not 
angry with the University of Maryland. As a matter of fact, it was 
because they rejected him that he went to Howard University, where he 
met the Honorable Charles Hamilton Houston. And it was there that their 
friendship blossomed such that Thurgood acquired this intelligence 
about the strategy to use the Constitution and litigation to bring 
about a more perfect Union.
  The interesting story, however, is not complete unless we go on to 
talk about how Thurgood, who graduated at the top of his class, went on 
to practice law, and one of his first cases involved a person who was 
denied access to the University of Maryland. He won that lawsuit. So 
history has a way of causing persons who have been rejected to have the 
opportunity to make a difference in the lives of other persons who may 
be similarly situated.
  I am so honored that Thurgood Marshall finished at Howard University 
and went to become chief litigator for the NAACP; but all of this was 
predicated upon his having a great relationship with another person who 
made headway, did not necessarily make the same kind of headlines, the 
honorable Charles Hamilton Houston.
  We talk about the Honorable Rosa Parks and how she took a seat and 
ignited a spark that started the civil rights movement, but there was 
another person who took a seat before Rosa who was arrested, 
handcuffed, and taken to jail. She was a 15-year-old girl. Her name was 
Claudette Colvin. She, too, suffered the same fate as the Honorable 
Rosa Parks, but she didn't make the headlines. She did make headway 
such that when the Honorable Rosa Parks was arrested, it become more of 
a story. Of course, Rosa Parks had status in the community, and that 
was, in no small way, a contribution to her receiving the attention 
that she did.
  And, by the way, Rosa Parks wasn't just tired. She was tired in the 
sense that she was tired of injustice, and she took a stand against 
injustice because she was tired of injustice.
  The interesting thing about this story is that the bus boycott that 
took place didn't end because of the boycott alone. I think that had 
something to do with it because it probably helped to shape public 
opinion. But there were three other females who filed a lawsuit that 
made its way to the Supreme Court of the United States of America: 
Browder, McDonald, and Smith. It was that lawsuit that they won, they 
made headway. They didn't make the lasting headlines, but they made the 
difference in the Montgomery bus boycott.
  And, of course, we always talk about Dr. King, and we should, because 
he paid the ultimate price. He made the ultimate sacrifice. But we 
should not forget that before Dr. King marched from Selma to 
Montgomery, there were others who set out to march from Selma to 
Montgomery, and they did not make it across. Well, they made it across 
the Edmund Pettus Bridge, but that waswhere they met strong resistance 
from officers who had billy clubs, and they resisted the marchers. They 
didn't resist them; they actually took them on, and they beat them all 
the way back to the church where they started.
  I enjoy hearing John Lewis tell the story not because of the 
suffering, but because he tells it in such a way as to cause me to have 
some degree of appreciation for what they went through on Bloody Sunday 
and how they paid a price. There were many people there on Bloody 
Sunday. The Honorable John Lewis was among them. They made headway and 
they made headlines, but their names have not been mentioned. And these 
are the people who made the occasion such that the Honorable Dr. Martin 
Luther King would come to Selma and proceed with the march that 
eventually took them from Selma to Montgomery. They made headway. They 
didn't always make headlines, but they made a great contribution.
  And, of course, we know of the Honorable Barack Obama, the first 
African American President of the United States of America, who did not 
get there because of his color. He is President because he is capable, 
competent, and qualified. But before he ran, there was a woman who ran, 
the Honorable Shirley Chisholm. She was the first African American to 
run for President from a major political party. She didn't get the 
nomination of the party, but she did run from a major political party.
  So we should remember that for every James Chaney, there were persons 
who were in the shadows who made a difference. John Lewis was one of 
them. For every Thurgood Marshall, there's a Charles Hamilton Houston 
who mentored, who made a difference in the life of a Thurgood Marshall 
such that he could go on to do the great things that he did. For every 
Rosa Parks, there is a person who is in the shadows, who made a 
difference, who helped to make the occasion such that Rosa Parks could 
rise to the occasion by taking a seat and igniting a spark that started 
the civil rights movement.
  Let us remember not only the persons who made the great headlines 
that we continually recognize, but let's remember that there were other 
persons who made great headway who don't get the recognition today that 
they merit, but they were a part of this great movement for liberty and 
justice for African Americans across the length and breadth of this 
country.

                              {time}  2050

  At some point, I shall talk about persons who were of many hues who 
also participated in this great movement, because we didn't get here by 
ourselves. There were many persons of many colors who marched and 
protested. Many of them gave their lives to this movement as well--John 
Shillady comes to mind, who was beaten in Austin, Texas, and as a 
result of that beating lost his life. He was an NAACPer, he was Anglo. 
Of course we know about Goodman and Chaney and Schwerner. And two of 
them, of course, were not African Americans, Schwerner and Goodman.
  So I think that on occasions like this we should always celebrate the 
great and noble African Americans who made great sacrifices, remember 
those who were in the shadows, and also remember that there were others 
of many hues, of many ethnicities and many religions who were right 
there with us to help us arrive at this point in our history.
  And I thank you so much for this time to mention some of the great 
ones, and some of those who were great but did not receive the acclaim 
that they richly deserve. And I thank you again. God bless you, and God 
bless America.
  Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Thank you, Congressman Green. And thank you for 
reminding us of the many, many unsung heroes and heroines on whose 
shoulders we also stand here today.
  This is Black History Month, and on many occasions throughout 
February the Congressional Black Caucus will be here on the floor to 
talk about the ones that we know and those that we don't hear much 
about. There is a lot of our history that of course we're very proud 
of--the Long March to Freedom, the march for the right to vote, and 
today, where we now have 43 members of the Congressional Black Caucus. 
But we also have history that we're not going back to; and Sheila 
Jackson Lee, when she was speaking earlier, reminded us of some of that 
history.
  Going back to the other topic of our Special Order, the right to vote 
and protecting that right to vote, tomorrow the Congressional Black 
Caucus, led by our chairman, Reverend Congressman Emanuel Cleaver, will 
be submitting a House resolution condemning the passage of legislation 
that would unduly burden an American citizen's ability to vote, and 
opposing any State election law or proposed legislation that would have 
a disproportionate impact on vulnerable communities across this 
country.
  When we introduce this, I think this is clearly a resolution that 
would signify the sense of Congress. It should be a resolution that 
every Member, Republican and Democrat, should support, supporting the 
right of every American citizen to vote freely and to have that vote 
counted. And we would invite all of the Members of the House to join us 
in that resolution, to become

[[Page 1022]]

cosponsors, and we would ask the leadership to bring it to the floor 
for a vote.
  Again, it condemns the passage of legislation that would unduly 
burden an American citizen's ability to vote and opposes any of those 
State election laws or proposed laws that would have a disproportionate 
impact, because historically we know that people of color have been 
barred from voting.
  The passage of these restrictive voting laws, the resolution reminds 
us, is reminiscent of the Jim Crow-era poll taxes and literacy tests 
that disenfranchised thousands of African Americans. It also reminds us 
that these laws do more to suppress the right to vote than to protect 
our electoral system. There's a lot of talk about these laws being 
passed and proposed because of fraud in the election system, but 
there's no proof that there is any fraud. So these laws are really 
about suppressing the right to vote.


                             General Leave

  Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their 
remarks and include extraneous material on the subject of this Special 
Order.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands?
  There was no objection.
  Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to 
speak about the significance of February as Black History Month. Black 
History Month was first observed in 1976, and has become a successful 
effort to bring a greater understanding of African American history to 
all people in the U.S. Since the first observance of Black History 
Month, this country has seen increased recognition of the numerous 
contributions and sacrifices that African Americans have made 
throughout the United States.
  From the pioneering inventions of Garrett A. Morgan, to the famous 
writings of Maya Angelou, African Americans have been responsible for 
many of the successes and innovations that have defined our Nation. 
Since Black History Month was first conceived, we recognized these 
ground-breaking accomplishments and celebrated them together as a 
country.
  However, every great triumph is not without tribulation. Much of what 
Black History Month is about is the recognition of the suffering that 
African Americans have had to endure. After slavery was abolished, 
Black Americans still faced racial intolerance and inequality. We need 
only to look to history to reflect on a period when African Americans 
were denied the right to vote.
  Even with passage of the Fifteenth Amendment to the U.S. 
Constitution, many still chose to circumvent the law and disenfranchise 
voters. From literacy tests to poll taxes, these tactics were designed 
to keep U.S. citizens from exercising their right to vote, and to have 
a voice in a diverse democratic system. It was not until the Voting 
Rights Act of 1965 was ultimately enacted that these menacing policies 
were outlawed.
  Mr. Speaker, Black History Month goes further than just the 
recognition of African Americans and their distinct role in shaping 
U.S. history. Black History Month is very much about our struggle as a 
Nation to uphold our democratic principles of fairness and equality for 
all. The struggle and triumph that is honored during this important 
time has come to benefit every American--regardless of their gender, 
race, or creed--by furthering a culture of equality, fairness, and 
justice. These important lessons from our past are ones that we must 
never forget as we move triumphantly into the future.

                          ____________________