John Conyers: “I want no misunderstanding about our appreciation of this bill being about prohibiting deceptive practices against…”

“I want no misunderstanding about our appreciation of this bill being about prohibiting deceptive practices against eligible voters. This is not a measure that deals with prosecuting ineligible voters unless they try to deceive eligible voters. The issue of voter fraud is a very serious one, well publicized, and it is the intention of the Chair of the committee that the Subcommittee on Crime hold hearings on this subject because we think it is an important one that needs to be examined very clearly. But today, we move forward from the 15th amendment in the Constitution, we move forward from the Voter Rights Act of 1965 that has been amended several times, and we now come to a specific set of practices that have been very detrimental in coercing and intimidating and confusing many voters. I am so pleased that this committee at this day and time is prepared to deal with preventing voters from being disenfranchised by being misled on their way to polling. It has been documented and we are directly prohibiting these kinds of tactics and we are turning many of them from a misdemeanor into a felony.”