Amy Klobuchar: “I rise today on two matters. I wish to begin by expressing my opposition to the nomination of Thomas Farr to the Federal…”

“I rise today on two matters. I wish to begin by expressing my opposition to the nomination of Thomas Farr to the Federal District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina. As a Senator from a State with a tradition of high voter turnout--in fact, in the last Presidential election, with the highest voter turnout in the country--in the election a few weeks ago, nearly 64 percent of Minnesota voters cast their ballot. This isn't just registered voters; it is eligible voters. We are talking about an issue that, in my State and in so many places around the country, is fundamental to our democracy--access to the polls. It is the central pillar of our democracy. If people can't vote, they can't have a say and we don't have a real democracy. It is that simple. That is why I am here to voice my opposition to Thomas Farr--because of his long record of defending discriminatory voting laws and redistricting plans. In North Carolina, Mr. Farr defended one of the most restrictive voting laws that we have seen, which, in addition to establishing a discriminatory voter ID requirement, eliminated same-day voter registration. By the way, I have spent a lot of time on this and have a bill to institute this across the country. Same-day voter registration is really the key. When you look at the top 10 States for voter turnout-- some are red, some are blue, some are purple--what do they have in common? They have same-day registration. It makes it easier for people to vote.…”