On the recordNovember 17, 2011
Mr. Speaker, our right to vote is under attack. Photo ID laws on the books in nearly a dozen States, including in my home State of Georgia and pending in 35, are most troubling. Proponents say State-issued photo ID laws prevent voter fraud, but in-person voting fraud has not been a significant problem throughout the years. The problem was that too many people went to vote for President Obama. An estimated 21 million people do not have current government-issued photo IDs. The numbers are even higher for blacks and Hispanics and other minorities. The Texas legislature passed one of the worst laws whereby a concealed-weapon permit qualifies as a voter ID while a student ID does not. The Justice Department should vigorously challenge these voter ID laws. Nothing is more fundamental, ladies and gentlemen, than our right to vote. We must reject any attempts to curb citizens in the exercise of their right. ____________________
