G. K. Butterfield: “let me first thank the leadership on both sides of the aisle for their bipartisan work on this great, historic…”

“let me first thank the leadership on both sides of the aisle for their bipartisan work on this great, historic legislation. Mr. Speaker, this legislation was enacted weeks after I finished high school in eastern North Carolina. At that time, there were no black elected officials and no prospect of electing minorities to office. There was the literacy test and at-large elections and staggered terms and numbered seats. These were all devices that were used to disenfranchise the African American community. The Voting Rights Act has made a difference. Section 2 has enabled minority communities to require significant changes in election procedure through legal action. Section 5 has been the safety valve that has prevented jurisdictions from changing their procedures to further dilute the minority vote. In my congressional district, in 1965, there were no black elected officials. Today, Mr. Speaker, I count 302. It was the Voting Rights Act that made it happen. I support the rule, Mr. Speaker, and I support the underlying legislation. I urge my colleagues to defeat the amendments and pass this legislation into law.”