[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1994, Book I)]
[July 27, 1994]
[Pages 1323-1324]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Statement on Protection of Voting Rights
July 27, 1994

    Over the past 30 years, the protection of voting rights, and the 
resulting increase in the number of minority representatives in 
Congress, has been a testament to our enduring democracy. Now, it is 
increasingly clear that a direct attack is being mounted on electoral 
districts that contain African-American or Hispanic population 
majorities. In the face of this attack, the position of this 
administration is clear: We are committed to the gains made by minority 
voters through enforcement of the Voting Rights Act.
    When the Voting Rights Act was passed in 1965 with support from 
Democrats and Republicans alike, it was properly viewed as central to 
our Nation's efforts to eradicate racial discrimination. It seeks not 
only to increase the number of minority representatives, as important as 
that is. More fundamentally, it ensures that minority voters have an 
opportunity to cast meaningful votes and to elect candidates of their 
choice, particularly in those areas where politics are racially or 
ethnically polarized.
    At my instruction, Attorney General Janet Reno and Assistant 
Attorney General for Civil Rights Deval L. Patrick are vigorously 
defending the congressional districts that are currently being 
challenged. Under their leadership the United States has either 
intervened as a party or become involved as a friend of the court in 
every one of these challenges. Ironically, these districts are the most 
integrated congressional districts in the Nation. Under the leadership 
of Deval Patrick, the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division is 
working hard to ensure that the Constitution has meaning for minority 
voters by making the case that these districts stay intact. I agree 
wholeheartedly that he

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should have all the resources necessary for that work.
    In the short-term, the fate of minority voting rights is in the 
courts. In the long-term, if necessary, I will work with Attorney 
General Reno and Members of Congress to enact legislation to clarify and 
reinforce the protections of the Voting Rights Act. Inclusion of all 
Americans in the political process is not a luxury; it is central to our 
future as the world's most vibrant democracy.