Hoyer Statement on the 25th Anniversary of the National Voter Registration Act
For Immediate Release:
May 18, 2018
Contact Info:
Annaliese Davis 202-225-4131
WASHINGTON, DC - House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer (MD) released the following statement today on the 25th anniversary of the enactment of the National Voter Registration Act, which falls on Sunday, May 20th:
“On Sunday, we mark the twenty-fifth anniversary of the enactment of the National Voter Registration Act, of which I was proud to be an original cosponsor. When President Clinton signed our bill into law in 1993, our nation took a significant step forward in the effort to expand voting rights and make it easier for every eligible voter to cast a ballot. Also known as the ‘Motor Voter Law,’ that legislation made it mandatory for states to provide an option to register to vote when obtaining or renewing a driver’s license. It also made it harder for states to purge voter rolls and made it easier to conduct voter registration drives by mail.
“Twenty-five years later, these are practices that many Americans have come to see as integral components of our voter registration system. When the Congress passed this legislation – and when it enacted the Help America Vote Act that I authored in 2002 – it reasserted the bipartisan principle that every eligible voter ought to be able to participate in our democracy and be encouraged to do so. Since the disastrous Shelby v. Holder ruling in 2013, the right to vote has been undermined, and I hope we can use this anniversary to recommit ourselves to the work of restoring voting rights and making it even easier for Americans to exercise their most fundamental right and responsibility as citizens.”
“On Sunday, we mark the twenty-fifth anniversary of the enactment of the National Voter Registration Act, of which I was proud to be an original cosponsor. When President Clinton signed our bill into law in 1993, our nation took a significant step forward in the effort to expand voting rights and make it easier for every eligible voter to cast a ballot. Also known as the ‘Motor Voter Law,’ that legislation made it mandatory for states to provide an option to register to vote when obtaining or renewing a driver’s license. It also made it harder for states to purge voter rolls and made it easier to conduct voter registration drives by mail.
“Twenty-five years later, these are practices that many Americans have come to see as integral components of our voter registration system. When the Congress passed this legislation – and when it enacted the Help America Vote Act that I authored in 2002 – it reasserted the bipartisan principle that every eligible voter ought to be able to participate in our democracy and be encouraged to do so. Since the disastrous Shelby v. Holder ruling in 2013, the right to vote has been undermined, and I hope we can use this anniversary to recommit ourselves to the work of restoring voting rights and making it even easier for Americans to exercise their most fundamental right and responsibility as citizens.”