Bob Menendez: “Mr. Speaker, let me say, in this great country of ours democracy can only flourish when we make all our voices heard.…”

“Mr. Speaker, let me say, in this great country of ours democracy can only flourish when we make all our voices heard. That is why it is important to do all we can to ensure that no vote is nullified. I want to commend the sponsors of the Help America Vote Act. Much hard work went into crafting this legislation that seeks to address the problems that plague our Nation's voting system; and when this bill was first debated on the House floor, I sought to offer an amendment to enhance the civil rights provisions of the bill, including ensuring accessibility of polling places, provision for provisional voting, and strengthening the National Voter Registration Act. I am pleased that some of these things were included in the final bill. However, I want to join my colleague, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Gonzalez), in our concerns about other provisions that were added in the conference report. While these new identification provisions may be offered to ensure that our voting system is free of error and fraud, I fear these provisions may lead to further disenfranchise many Latino voters. Under this bill, a Federal requirement for voter identification is created. This will be the first time ever such a provision exists in our Nation's law. I fear this starts a dangerous precedent.”