On the recordSeptember 16, 2014
2 weeks from today, Golden Week will begin in the State of Ohio. This is a one-stop voting opportunity that will allow Ohio residents to register and cast in-person absentee ballots at the same time. But for the U.S. district court ruling against the GOP- led general assembly, Ohio voters would not have this opportunity. According to a Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights report, African American voters made up 78 percent of all early voting ballots in the country. There are people working in every State to make it more difficult for citizens, and particularly people of color, to exercise their right to vote. That is why it is critical for each of us to do all we can to protect it. I support the Voting Rights Amendment Act of 2014, and I encourage my colleagues to do the same. ____________________
