Political Quotes

“I thank the ranking member for his work. Mr. Chair, I rise today in opposition to H.R. 1. While my colleagues on the other side of the aisle have deemed this bill to be ``for the people,'' a more proper characterization would be ``for the politicians.'' Voting is a foundational right for all Americans, and the egregious provisions of this bill would jeopardize our freedoms. In particular, this legislation fails to address the issue of ballot harvesting. As we have seen in California and my own State of North Carolina, ballot harvesting has created troubling irregularities in several elections due to the lack of oversight and opportunities for voter manipulation and intimidation. Ballot harvesting allows political operatives with a partisan agenda to get involved in the collection and submission of votes, creating an opportunity for organizations or campaign workers to exploit voters and violate our fundamental rights. Americans should have a choice on how they want to vote, who they want to support, and if they want to vote at all. {time} 1445 Not only would H.R. 1 manipulate the voting process, but it would also restrict our rights as Americans to donate to the campaigns of our choosing and would allow the Federal Government to use our taxpayer dollars to subsidize elections. Aside from the proposed matching donations with a 6-to-1 ratio, H.R. 1 would create a pilot program to provide $25 vouchers for eligible voters.…”