Patrick Leahy: “as the Senate stands poised to conclude this debate and reauthorize the Voting Rights Act, we recall the words of Martin…”

“as the Senate stands poised to conclude this debate and reauthorize the Voting Rights Act, we recall the words of Martin Luther King, Jr., in his famous ``I have a Dream'' speech, where he noted: ``When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir.'' The Voting Rights Act is one of the most important methods of enforcing this promise and upholding the Constitution's guarantee of equal rights and equal protection of the law. We owe it those who struggled so long and hard to transform the landscape and make America a place of political inclusion to reauthorize this important Act. We all enjoy these protections and take them for granted. No Senator would ever be denied the right to vote, but the same cannot be said about millions of others. We act so that all Americans can enjoy America's bounty, its blessings and its promise. On May 2, our congressional leadership stood together on the steps of the Capitol--an historic announcement in an era of intense partisanship. We came together in recognition that there are few things as critical to our Nation, and to American citizenship, as voting.…”