Voting Rights
In the 117th Congress, Democrats passed H.R. 1, the For The People Act, which would promote government transparency, strengthen access to the ballot box, secure election infrastructure, and curb the influence of dark money in politics. The House also passed H.R. 4, the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2021, which would reauthorize key portions of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that were struck down in the Supreme Court’s flawed Shelby County v. Holder and Brnovich v. DNC decisions. In addition, the House passed H.R. 5746, the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act, which would set basic nationwide standards for how elections are conducted and take action to end partisan gerrymandering. Senate Republicans shamefully continue to obstruct these vital pieces of civil rights legislation and attack our democracy.
Democrats will continue to protect our democracy, advance the cause of voting rights, and expand access to the ballot box. We will fight to ensure that misleading information does not deter Americans from participating in our democracy and having confidence in the results of our free and fair elections.
Today we mark the forty-ninth anniversary of the signing of the Voting Rights Act, which will forever rank as one of the most successful pieces of Civil Rights legislation enacted for creating a process to combat racial discrimination in voting.
There is no more fundamental right that Americans have than the right to vote, and today’s hearing by the Committee on House Administration to review the recommendations of the bipartisan Presidential Commission on Election Administration was an important step toward ensuring that this basic right is never denied.
I rise to speak on this bill but not to offer an amendment. I don't offer an amendment because to offer an amendment I would have to identify an offset within the body of this bill. This bill is deeply and harmfully underfunded.
Today, we mark the one-year anniversary of the Senate passage of a bipartisan comprehensive immigration reform bill.
I think the President, if there is no action in the next few weeks, is going to be impelled by his moral responsibility to act himself.
Yesterday marked the one year anniversary of the Supreme Court decision in Shelby County v. Holder, which gutted crucial voter protections.
You know, I'm looked at as a civil leader in the House of Representatives, but I am a militant for civil rights, a militant for voters’ rights, and I have walked across the Edmund Pettus Bridge with my friend [Rep.] John Lewis and so many people that are here, including [Democratic Leader] Nancy Pelosi and [Rep.] Steve Cohen.
On this day last year, the Supreme Court set back the cause of equal voting rights in America in its terrible decision striking down a key part of the 1964 Voting Rights Act. In the year since, we’ve seen several Republican-led states impose new voting restrictions.
I was proud to stand with other Congressional leaders today as the late Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King were posthumously awarded the Congressional Gold Medal, America’s highest civilian honor.
Congress has the responsibility to protect every American’s fundamental right to vote,” said Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer. “This law in Arizona, and laws like it, restrict the ability of people to register to vote, and disproportionally affect the poor, young people, and minorities.