Political Quotes

“Madam President, today I am proud to join a number of my colleagues to highlight the importance of S. 1, the For the People Act. The ballot box is the pulsating heart of our government of, by, and for the people. President Lyndon B. Johnson said: The vote is the most powerful instrument ever devised by man for breaking down injustice. Think about that--``the most powerful instrument ever devised for breaking down injustice.'' It is Robert Kennedy who observed that ``each citizen's right to vote is fundamental to all the other rights of citizenship.'' You know, the opportunity to cast a ballot is not just an opportunity. It is not simply a responsibility. But it is a right--the right--the right that embodies all it means to a republic in which the power flows from the people. Our Nation, however imperfect in the beginning, has worked toward this vision of citizens through the ballot box, driving the vision of our Nation, for over 200 years, overcoming barrier after barrier. We overcame some of the barriers of race with the 14th and 15th Amendments. We overcame the barriers of gender with the 19th Amendment. We overcame barriers that had denied Native Americans the right to vote with the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924. We overcame the barriers of Jim Crow with the Voting Rights Act of 1965. But now, as we stand in this Chamber, the central right of each citizen's opportunity to participate in the election through the ballot box is again under attack.…”