Debbie Wasserman Schultz: “today, when walking through the Capitol, I saw President Roosevelt's words inscribed on a wall. They stopped me in my…”

“today, when walking through the Capitol, I saw President Roosevelt's words inscribed on a wall. They stopped me in my tracks. He said, ``We must remember that any oppression, any injustice, any hatred is a wedge designed to attack our civilization.'' These words should guide us in this debate. They were deemed so important that they are literally a part of the structure of our Nation's Capitol. The Voting Rights Act is the most important and successful civil rights law in our Nation's history. From poll taxes to literacy tests, States historically disenfranchised voters based on their race, their gender and educational background. While America exports democracy around the globe, we must not deny it here at home. Sadly, many Americans have lost faith in our electoral system. From the 2000 election in my home State of Florida, or Ohio in 2004, many Americans feel like some in their government don't want their vote to count. We must renew the Voting Rights Act to restore that lost faith. Some say the preclearance provisions are no longer needed, and they are wrong. Since 1982, the Department of Justice has made more than 1,000 objections to discriminatory changes in State and local voting laws. If the gentleman from Georgia's amendment is adopted, these 1,000 objections would never be considered. This amendment deserves to be defeated. All the amendments need to be defeated, and the Voting Rights Act should be adopted in full.…”