Lucille Roybal-Allard: “earlier today this chamber voted to end the probe into the election of Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez. Congresswoman…”

“earlier today this chamber voted to end the probe into the election of Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez. Congresswoman Sanchez was vindicated, and the voice of her constituents was reaffirmed. It should have never been questioned! And now Republicans want to set our nation back. They want to create new barriers to voting for every American. Mr. Speaker, our right to vote is among our most sacred duties as Americans. As our nation has evolved, so has our electoral process. The days of the infamous poll tax are gone, and the 19th Amendment ensures that all of our nation's citizens are granted representation through their vote. H.R. 1428, the so-called 'Voter Eligibility Verification Act' is a misguided Republican attempt at curtailing the Voting Rights Act as well as key provisions of the Privacy Act. The bill allows federal, state, and local officials to randomly challenge the right to vote of any person they choose, and it directs the Social Security Administration and the Immigration and Naturalization Service to investigate the citizenship of any individual at the request of election officials. The INS and the Social Security Administration both oppose this bill. They know that many of their files are outdated and that they cannot accurately verify the citizenship of Americans.”