the purpose of H.R. 4 is nothing less than fortifying the cornerstone of our democracy.

So many of my constituents, and I would say all our constituents who are disabled may not have that same right.

We need to be able to use preclearance, an efficient and effective mechanism, to address these potential voting rights violations.

It is past time for Congress to act.

It is not only imperative that Congress restore the Voting Rights Act, but that it authorizes an Act that addresses the modern needs and political climate of the nation.

Racial and ethnic discrimination is an extraordinary harm that necessitates the extraordinary remedy of preclearance.

It is critical that Congress Act to investigate and legislate these activities that threaten to severely compromise the integrity of our elections.

The VRA is universally acknowledged as the most successful and most transformative piece of legislation to emerge from the Civil Rights Movement.

Congress must do its part to remove obstacles to voting for the nearly 4.7 million disenfranchised citizens who have been released from incarceration and are still denied the right to vote in federal elections.

Congress has the ultimate and distinguished authority to enforce the anti-discrimination principle articulated in the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments, to protect the vote of every eligible citizen and ensure that their vote counts.

It allows for transparency in electoral processes.