Stacey Abrams

There is some correlation between increased participation and the absence of suppression.

We want every American who has the right to vote to know that they have the freedom to do so and the access.

We remove the barriers to voting, we remain protective of our democracy, but we also expand access to everyone who is eligible to participate.

Voter suppression is real. Voter fraud is a myth.

So, part of the insidiousness of voter suppression, and I use that word intentionally, we're used to the more aggressive 1950s, 1960s style voter suppression words, billy clubs, and horses, and dogs, telling people -- and laws that say you…

But when you understand how the laws work, it eviscerates the right to vote.

What is currently happening is that as demographic changes occur, and there are increasing numbers of people of color who have the right to vote, we are seeing a concomitant increase in the hurdles that are being placed in front of them to…

What H.R. 4 does and what we need is that notice again of the voting changes and the burden to show what the impact is to be placed on the jurisdictions seeking to implement that law.

The moment Shelby was passed, he reinstituted this policy.

I do think, and I want to reiterate this false connection that is being drawn between voter turnout rates among communities of color, and voter suppression. These are not correlated.

The challenge with the way voter purging happens is that no one is responsible, but voters are losing their rights.

We also know that Georgia had an extraordinary number of poll closures. We had 214 polls close out of roughly 3,000. Those are largely African American communities.

And that is what is so pernicious about voter suppression, that we have people who believe now that they have no voice because of error, because of intentionality, and because of racial discrimination.

I vehemently disagree.

I strongly urge Congress to take action today, and I thank you for the opportunity to address this committee.

During the tenure of Secretary of State Brian Kemp, 1.4 million voters were purged.

the franchise is weakened, all citizens feel the effects, which is why restoration of the full power of the Voting Rights Act must occur.

I would argue that is the moral equivalent of saying that because more people get in the water, there can't be sharks.

Any restoration of Section 5 should, I believe, set a universal standard that disallows any processes that would diminish the ability for people of color to access the right to vote.

That is a small kernel of an example.

Voter suppression is adapting to the changing demographics of our country.

the behavior that was evidenced over the course of a decade by the then Secretary of State demonstrated a deep disregard for the voting rights of all Georgia citizens.

I hold the right to vote to be the most fundamental privilege of a citizen.

It unfairly captures people of color and women, it has a disproportionate effect on people of color.

Fair Fight is a nonpartisan voting rights advocacy organization. I am proud to serve as our founder and chair.