[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 9]
[Senate]
[Pages 12699-12700]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           VOTING RIGHTS ACT

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, nearly 50 years ago, Martin Luther King, 
Jr., gave his historic ``I Have a Dream'' speech in front of hundreds 
of thousands of people on the National Mall. At the time, I was 
entering my last year of law school. I was inspired by the March on 
Washington and knew that history was being made before my very eyes. 
The youngest speaker at the March was a compelling man by the name of 
John Lewis. Many spoke of their unyielding support for civil rights 
legislation, but John Lewis demanded more. He demanded that the civil 
rights bill protect the right of every American to vote free from 
discrimination. With his strong and forceful voice, he proclaimed that 
``One man, one vote is the African cry. It is ours too. It must be 
ours.''
  A year and a half later, John Lewis would lead another march across 
the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, AL. There, State troopers brutally 
beat, bloodied, and trampled John Lewis and the group of peaceful 
marchers he led. Those powerful images from ``Bloody Sunday'' were 
captured on television and in vivid photographs, and would become a 
catalyst for the passage of the Voting Rights Act. When President 
Lyndon Johnson signed the act into law several months later, he 
fittingly gave one of the pens to John Lewis.
  The Voting Rights Act has become the most successful piece of civil 
rights legislation in this Nation's history. It has worked to protect 
the Constitution's guarantees against racial discrimination in voting 
for nearly five decades. It has helped minorities of all races overcome 
major barriers to participation in the political process, through the 
use of such devices as poll taxes, intimidation by voting officials, 
registration and language barriers, and systematic vote dilution.
  Despite the continuing evidence of racial discrimination in voting 
that Congress amassed in 2006, the Supreme Court recently issued a 
ruling that makes it more difficult to protect all Americans in 
exercising their sacred right to vote. In Shelby County v. Holder, a 
narrow majority of the Supreme Court held that the coverage formula for 
section 5 of the Voting Rights Act was unconstitutional. Section 5 
provides a remedy for unconstitutional discrimination in voting by 
requiring certain jurisdictions with a history of discrimination to 
``pre-clear'' all voting changes before they can take effect. This 
remedy is both necessary and important because it stops the 
discriminatory voting practice before our fellow Americans' rights are 
violated. By striking down the coverage formula for section 5, the 
Court's ruling leaves this effective protection unenforceable.
  Two weeks ago, I began a bipartisan conversation to restore the 
protections of the Voting Rights Act when I chaired a hearing before 
the Senate Judiciary Committee. The hearing included meaningful 
testimony from John Lewis and Jim Sensenbrenner. Both agreed that 
protecting the right to vote from discriminatory practices is neither a 
Democratic issue nor a Republican issue. It is an American issue.
  At this hearing, Republican City Commissioner Luz Urbaez Weinberg of 
Aventura, FL, also testified to the need to restore the protections of 
section 5 of the Voting Rights Act. She urged Congress to demonstrate a 
``clear and principled commitment to equal voting rights for all 
Americans regardless of race, language spoken, and to also act swiftly 
to restore the protections.'' Moreover, she made clear that maintaining 
the Voting Rights Act ``is not a partisan issue. It is a nonpartisan 
issue. It is an issue for all Americans. Whether Republicans or 
Democrats, all Americans strongly believe in fair and equal electoral 
opportunities.''
  It is true that America has made a lot of progress since the Voting 
Rights Act was first enacted. Nobody denies this. But we are far from 
achieving the dream that Dr. King spoke of on that magnificent day in 
August of 1963. Although the Supreme Court struck down the coverage 
formula in the Shelby County case, the Justices acknowledged, as they 
must and as the American people recognize, that discrimination in 
voting continues to be a problem. As the Chief Justice rightly noted in 
the majority opinion, ``voting discrimination still exists; no one 
doubts that.'' The question only remains how best to protect Americans 
against this discrimination.
  This is an issue on which Republicans and Democrats have always come 
together on. Every reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act, including 
its initial passage, has been marked by the overwhelming support of 
lawmakers of both parties. In the last few weeks, I have heard people 
say that Congress is too gridlocked and will not act on voting rights. 
That is wrong and it is unsupported by our tradition of leadership on 
this issue. As my friend Senator Grassley said at the Senate Judiciary 
Committee voting rights hearing I chaired 2 weeks ago, ``Cynicism and 
defeatism have never before characterized reauthorization of the Voting 
Rights Act.'' Senator Grassley is right. History shows that we have 
reauthorized the act time and again because it is a nonpartisan issue.
  Those who forecast failure also underestimate what a person like John 
Lewis can accomplish. I, for one, would never underestimate John 
Lewis's tenacity and ability to bring people together.
  The Supreme Court's ruling last month was a setback to the cause of 
equality. However, we should see it as a calling for Congress to come 
together to meet the voting discrimination which persists with a 
steadfast resolve. It is up to us to meet this challenge. We must work 
together as a Congress--not as Democrats or Republicans, but as 
Americans--to ensure that we protect against racial discrimination in 
voting. We can only do that with a strong Voting Rights Act.
  Earlier today, at the bipartisan and bicameral event marking the 50th 
Anniversary of the March on Washington in Statuary Hall, John Lewis 
said, ``We have come a great distance but we are not finished yet.'' I 
could not agree more. Let us continue to work to protect the 
fundamental right to vote for all Americans.
  Ms. MIKULSKI. Mr. President, I rise today to speak on an important 
anniversary in our country. In just a few weeks, we will commemorate 
the 50th anniversary of the famous March on Washington. On August 28, 
1963, we marched. We marched for jobs, for justice, for the economy, 
and for freedom.
  I remember that march. I was getting ready to go back to school. 
Baltimore was a staging location, and many social workers helped as 
marchers came down from New York and Pennsylvania. These determined 
individuals--a diverse group--all with a story and a cause, made up the 
nearly 250,000 people who marched that day. It was an important 
testament to the power of a collective voice, one in support of equal 
rights and treatment of all. And it was this collective voice that 
helped lead to the passage of the Civil Rights Act and the Voting 
Rights Act.
  We have had many victories, and made much progress in ensuring 
equality for all. We have elected a Black President to the White House, 
passed the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, repealed DOMA and Don't Ask 
Don't Tell. We have accomplished so much, but we still have so far to 
go. The fight for civil rights is far from over. Racial, religious and 
gender violence continues in our streets and in our homes. Voters 
rights have been threatened by the recent Supreme Court decision, 
leaving Americans vulnerable to prejudice and intimidation. And so we 
find ourselves, 50 years later, fighting many of the same fights.
  We need to reclaim that bill of rights, and not let any court 
decision take it away from us. They are chopping away at the Voting 
Rights Act, but let's change the law if we have to. Let us march for 
our liberties and the people who were there, and said ``ain't

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I a man'', later calling on the words ``ain't I a woman''.
  So it is important now more than ever to hold that dream of Dr. King 
in our hearts. Let's remember the history that was written here 50 
years ago. And just as we marched then, we need to march today. 
Together we can end injustice. Together we can break down barriers to 
equality, so that all people regardless of race, faith or gender can 
live in a country that never promised anything less than their 
undeniable rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

                          ____________________