[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 7]
[House]
[Pages 10508-10509]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1215
                      VOTING RIGHTS AMENDMENT ACT

  (Ms. CHU asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. CHU. Mr. Speaker, one of the most precious rights we have as 
Americans is the right to vote. But every day it is becoming more 
difficult to do it.
  Today is nearly 1 year after the Supreme Court's Shelby decision, 
which gutted provisions of the Voting Rights Act. States quickly moved 
to restrict voting rights. In fact, hours after Shelby, Texas announced 
its voter ID law would be implemented immediately. Thank goodness the 
Federal court blocked it.
  Without these protections, minority communities will be 
disproportionately affected. The Voting Rights Act ensured equal access 
to the ballot box, and it protected voters like Rose Thompson. Rose is 
79 years old and has

[[Page 10509]]

voted all her life, but this November she will likely be turned away. 
Rose was born at home in Jackson, Mississippi, and never received a 
birth certificate, so she can't obtain a voter ID as her State 
requires. Without an ID, Rose loses a fundamental right that was 
guaranteed to all Americans.
  Now is the time for action. I urge my colleagues to support the 
bipartisan Voting Rights Amendment Act and restore our ability to have 
a voice in this democracy.

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