Hank Johnson: “Ladies and gentlemen, nothing is more fundamental in our democracy than the right to vote. Unfortunately, our right to…”

“Ladies and gentlemen, nothing is more fundamental in our democracy than the right to vote. Unfortunately, our right to vote is under attack. According to a new report by the Brennan Center for Justice, voter suppression laws in States across the country could affect up to 5 million voters from traditionally Democratic demographics in 2012. It's no coincidence that this number is larger than the margin of victory in two of the last three Presidential elections. These voter ID laws do nothing more than discourage and block eligible voters, especially students, the poor, seniors, and minorities. These are Americans who tend to vote for Democrats. Recently, the media reported that a 96-year-old woman was denied a voter ID card in Chattanooga, Tennessee, because of one of these new laws. Her name is Dorothy Cooper, and she is a retired domestic worker. In fact, she was born in my home State of Georgia, and she relocated to Chattanooga so that she could find work. She could not get all the documents together, and so, therefore, her request for a government- issued ID was denied. After Indiana's photo ID law was implemented, the media reported about a group of elderly nuns who lacked driver's licenses and current passports, and they were turned away from the polls. Unfortunately, if States continue to pass these restrictive and unnecessary voter ID laws, we will hear more of these stories.…”