Dick Durbin: “The debate we just heard is probably a replay of many arguments over the Voting Rights Act of 1965: It is a matter of…”

“The debate we just heard is probably a replay of many arguments over the Voting Rights Act of 1965: It is a matter of States' rights. It isn't the Congress's responsibility. This is too big a job. But we decided in the 1960s that the accident of birth or color would not deny you your right to vote in America. Today, by turning down this amendment, we would say the accident of the voting machine that you face wherever you happen to be registered can turn away your right to vote, can deny you this basic constitutional franchise. One out of three voters will not have the protection of this law because the compromise legislation doesn't provide for notification in punchcard systems.”