On the recordSeptember 21, 2012
Mr. Speaker, this is Constitution Week, when we celebrate our fundamental rights as Americans. Today, one of the most cherished rights, the right to vote, is under serious attack. Recent efforts to suppress voter participation are designed to silence the voice of American voters, especially seniors, people of color, the poor, and young adults. In Florida, new restrictions on voter registration led the League of Women Voters to suspend their efforts until the law was halted by the court. Republican legislatures have passed strict voting requirements, although Pennsylvania could not provide even one example of voter fraud. Even elderly veterans, who risked their lives for our country, may be turned away from the polls because they lack the proper IDs. Five million Americans could be disenfranchised. Anyone who values our Constitution should encourage voting, not erect barriers based on false claims of voter fraud. ____________________





