Kathy Castor: “Over the past decades when officials in Florida tried to restrict access to the ballot box, the Voting Rights Act…”

“Over the past decades when officials in Florida tried to restrict access to the ballot box, the Voting Rights Act provided protections for all Floridians to cast their vote. Maybe they limited hours of voting, or didn't provide timely notice to changes in polling places, or didn't provide clear ballot language, but the Voting Rights Act was there. But, unfortunately, the U.S. Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act and after that State officials moved to enact other discriminatory practices to keep certain people and people of color from casting ballots. It is wrong. So it is vitally important that the Congress adopt the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act to make sure voting is fair, especially in places where voting discrimination has been historically prevalent. As John Lewis said: When you see something that is not right and not fair, you have to speak up. You have to say something. You have to do something. And that is what we are going to do today. I say to Representative Sewell, We are going to cast a reinvigorated Voting Rights Act. And I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes.''”