Robert Torricelli: “when the Voting Rights Act was signed into law over 30 years ago, many thought it was the end of a long journey to…”

“when the Voting Rights Act was signed into law over 30 years ago, many thought it was the end of a long journey to recognize that the ideals on which this country was founded were more than just abstract notions. The Voting Rights Act and before it the 14th amendment were definitive expressions by our Nation's government that liberty and equality in theory is only as meaningful as liberty and equality in practice. As my colleague from Connecticut noted yesterday in this Chamber, Thomas Paine captured the essence of our Nation's democracy when he stated that the right to vote is ``the primary right by which all other rights are protected.'' The immediate consequence of the 2000 elections and its unsettling aftermath was a realization that even 30 years after the Voting Rights Act became law, the Nation's election system was not what people thought it was. The election brought to light many problems with the Nation's voting system, including the impact that outdated voting machines, undertrained poll workers, and poorly-designed ballots can have on an election.”