Political Quotes

“As a former secretary of state for the State of Rhode Island, and now a Member of the United States Congress, I have serious concerns about this bill. Mr. Speaker, voter participation is the cornerstone of our democracy and a fundamental civic duty that empowers every citizen to effect change within our society. Unfortunately, many individuals with disabilities have been historically shut out of the voting process due to lack of accessibility. That's among my particular concerns with this bill. We have made impressive strides in recent years to close that gap, and the Election Assistance Commission, established under the Help America Vote Act, was an important part of that effort. As a Member of Congress who lives with a disability, cofounded the bipartisan Disabilities Caucus, and has worked at both the State and Federal levels to modernize and make accessible our voting systems, I find it unconscionable that the Republican leadership is considering this bill to abolish the Election Assistance Commission, an agency whose fundamental mission is to promote security, accessibility, and trust in our electoral process. Could the EAC use some reforms? Yes. But the Republican solution of eliminating an agency with such an important mission is unnecessary. Everyone, Mr. Speaker, should have full faith in our system of elections including seniors, military members, minorities, and people with disabilities, and that's exactly what the Election Assistance Commission seeks to provide.…”