[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 9]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 12362]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




   FEDERAL COURT DECISION ON THE PRESIDENTIAL ADVISORY COMMISSION ON 
                           ELECTION INTEGRITY

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                          HON. TERRI A. SEWELL

                               of alabama

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, July 28, 2017

  Ms. SEWELL of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to express deep 
concern about the recent Federal Court decision on the Trump 
Administration's Presidential Advisor Commission on Election Integrity. 
The partisan commission led by Vice President Pence and Kansas 
Secretary of State Kris Kobach sparked controversy on June 28th when 
they requested the names, date of birth, party registrations, partial 
Social Security numbers, and voting history of more than 150 million 
registered voters across America.
  Immediately following this request, voting rights groups and civil 
liberty activists challenged the Commission on Election Integrity in 
Federal Court. Earlier this week, a D.C. federal judge ruled that the 
White House is exempt from federal privacy review requirements, 
permitting the Trump Administration's commission to move forward with 
collecting voters' personal information throughout the country. This 
decision is a setback to democracy, because it legitimizes the voter 
suppression efforts of this commission.
  The creation of the Commission on Election Integrity is based on an 
inaccurate claim by President Trump that he would have ``won the 
popular vote if you deduct the millions of people who voted 
illegally.'' It is also upsetting that the commission is using tax 
payer money to promote this false narrative.
  Fortunately, the D.C. Federal Court's decision will not be the final 
ruling on the legitimacy of the Presidential Advisory Commission on 
Election Integrity. Many other groups, including the NAACP Legal 
Defense Fund, have filed lawsuits in federal courts across the country 
to challenge the commission's efforts.
  With the seemingly constant attacks on voting rights, it is easy to 
become discouraged and disengaged. I challenge every American to draw 
inspiration from the foot soldiers of the Civil Rights and Voting 
Rights Movement who risked their lives in the pursuit of unfettered 
access to the ballot. As old battles become new again, we must re-
double our efforts to ensure equal access to the voting booth. That is 
why I proposed H.R. 2978--The Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2017. By 
restoring the full protection of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, we can 
address the problem of voter discrimination and help ensure all 
Americans, regardless of race and economic status, are able to exercise 
their right to vote.

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