[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 10]
[House]
[Page 14510]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  CONSTITUTION WEEK/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, I would like to say that my team came in 
second to Tennessee. Tennessee was the only team that beat them--but 
beat them twice. They did a stand-up job. So did our kids in Petaluma.
  Mr. Speaker, on Monday, I took part in a moving naturalization 
ceremony as 50 new people from 20 different countries took the oath 
that made them Americans--225 years to the day that the Founders signed 
the U.S. Constitution.
  Mr. Speaker, there's no constitutional right more precious than the 
right of self-governance. These new Americans were excited for the very 
opportunity to vote in this upcoming election. That's why we should do 
everything possible to ensure that every eligible American can do just 
that. Unfortunately, several States are throwing up barriers to voter 
participation, restricting ballot access to silence peoples' voices.
  Mr. Speaker, guess who is disenfranchised by strict photo ID 
requirements and the like? It's not Republicans. It's communities of 
color and low-income families.

                          ____________________