[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 7]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 9777]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




              SUPPORTING THE VOTING RIGHTS ADVANCEMENT ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. TERRI A. SEWELL

                               of alabama

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 22, 2017

  Ms. SEWELL of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, today I rise in support of a 
critical piece of legislation, the Voting Rights Advancement Act. I am 
proud to sponsor this legislation and to be joined by my colleagues, 
Representatives Judy Chu, Michelle Lujan Grisham, and John Lewis.
  In March of 2015, I, alongside former Presidents Barack Obama and 
George Bush, both Republican and Democrat Members of Congress, and 
thousands of people from across the world marched over Edmund Pettus 
Bridge to commemorate the 50th anniversary of ``Bloody Sunday''. We 
honored great Americans like Jimmie Lee Jackson, who was brutally 
murdered for attempting to vote, Ms. Amelia Boynton Robinson and our 
fellow Congressman John Lewis, who were both bludgeoned for marching 
for their right to vote. Their sacrifices and courage paved the path 
for Congress to pass the Voting Rights Act of 1965 with overwhelming 
bipartisan support.
  As we reach the fourth anniversary of Shelby v. Holder, the landmark 
case that overturned and gutted a vital part of the Voting Rights Act 
of 1965, it is clear that Americans' right to vote is under attack now 
more than ever. While people of color are no longer subject to 
irrational literacy tests, arbitrary grandfather clauses, or high poll 
taxes, the reversal of Section 4(b) of the Voting Rights Act once again 
subjugates minorities to voter discrimination tactics. This section 
provided preclearance measures for states where voter discrimination 
has occurred. Section 4(b) required any changes of voting laws to first 
be cleared by the court in the determined states. Since Shelby v. 
Holder nullified this crucial part of the Voting Rights Act, 10 states 
have passed laws requiring photo identification to vote, and several 
more states now require government issued identification in order to 
cast a ballot. These identification laws have been proven to negatively 
affect minority and low-income voters disproportionately time and time 
again.
  Moreover, instead of working to enhance the Voting Rights Act of 1965 
and working to protect the voting rights of all Americans, the Trump 
Administration is wasting valuable time and resources creating a 
commission to investigate the groundless claim that millions of people 
voted illegally in the last election. The creation of this commission 
demonstrates a clear disregard for the millions of disenfranchised 
minorities across America.
  My legislation, the Voting Rights Advancement Act, will effectively 
create a new coverage formula and provide updated preclearance 
procedures for states that have had 15 or more voting violations within 
the past 25 years. With the addition of this new formula, 13 states 
including Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, 
Louisiana, Mississippi, New York, North Carolina, South Carolina, 
Texas, and Virginia, 9 of which have already passed discriminatory 
voter identification laws, would be subject to federal oversight. The 
Voting Rights Advancement Act presents a clear solution to the problem 
of voter discrimination and helps ensure Americans of all races and 
socioeconomic statuses are able to exercise their constitutionally 
protected right to vote.
  Just as in 1965, we remain at a pivotal crossroads--the choice to 
give every American equal access to the ballot or to continue 
marginalizing and disenfranchising minorities and low-income 
communities. I urge my colleagues to take action and support the Voting 
Rights Advancement Act and not to let the bipartisan effort of previous 
Congresses be in vain. Congress must pass the Voting Rights Advancement 
Act and restore the right to vote to every American citizen.

                          ____________________