IV 

115TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. RES. 1058 

Expressing support for designation of the month of September as ‘‘National 

Voting Rights Month’’. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

SEPTEMBER 12, 2018 

Mr. VEASEY (for himself, Mr. HASTINGS, Ms. NORTON, Mrs. BEATTY, Ms. 

SEWELL of Alabama, Ms. JAYAPAL, Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN, Mr. 

PAYNE, Mr. LEWIS of Georgia, Mr. CARSON of Indiana, Ms. MOORE, Ms. 

CLARKE of New York, Mr. SCOTT of Virginia, Mr. TAKANO, Mr. LARSEN

of Washington, Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois, Ms. EDDIE BERNICE

JOHNSON of Texas, Ms. BASS, Mr. POCAN, Mrs. DEMINGS, Mr. PALLONE, Mr. BROWN of Maryland, Mr. BRENDAN F. BOYLE of Pennsylvania, Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia, Ms. KAPTUR, Mr. GARAMENDI, Mr. 

MOULTON, Mr. LOWENTHAL, Mr. LAWSON of Florida, Ms. WILSON of 

Florida, Mr. DESAULNIER, Mr. NADLER, Ms. BARRAGA ́N, Mr. BEN RAY

LUJA ́N of New Mexico, Mr. SEAN PATRICK MALONEY of New York, Mr. 

PRICE of North Carolina, Mr. SERRANO, Ms. JUDY CHU of California, 

Mr. HIGGINS of New York, Mr. RUSH, Ms. BONAMICI, Ms. WASSERMAN

SCHULTZ, Mr. MCEACHIN, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Ms. SHEA-PORTER, Mr. 

MCNERNEY, Mr. SIRES, Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD, Mr. BLUMENAUER, Mr. 

JEFFRIES, Mr. GUTIE ́RREZ, Ms. TITUS, Mr. GONZALEZ of Texas, Mr. 

SMITH of Washington, Mr. QUIGLEY, Mr. RYAN of Ohio, Mr. MEEKS, 

Ms. BROWNLEY of California, Mr. CUMMINGS, Mr. COSTA, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr. YARMUTH, Mr. COHEN, Mr. SOTO, Mr. KILDEE, Mr. KHANNA, 

Ms. ESHOO, Ms. MICHELLE LUJAN GRISHAM of New Mexico, Mr. 

THOMPSON of Mississippi, Mrs. NAPOLITANO, Ms. MATSUI, Ms. JACKSON

LEE, Ms. MCCOLLUM, Mr. EVANS, Mrs. LAWRENCE, Mr. CARBAJAL, Mr. 

VELA, Mr. CRIST, Mr. SARBANES, Ms. DELBENE, Mrs. CAROLYN B. 

MALONEY of New York, Mr. NOLAN, Ms. BLUNT ROCHESTER, Mr. 

WELCH, Ms. DELAURO, Ms. SA ́NCHEZ, Mr. TONKO, Mr. HUFFMAN, Mr. 

FOSTER, Ms. VELA ́ZQUEZ, Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas, Mr. DAVID

SCOTT of Georgia, Mr. ESPAILLAT, Mr. CICILLINE, Ms. LEE, Mr. CASTRO of Texas, Mr. ENGEL, Mr. DELANEY, Mr. KILMER, Mrs. LOWEY, 

Mr. POLIS, Mr. LOEBSACK, Mr. GOMEZ, Mrs. DINGELL, Ms. ADAMS, Mr. 

PANETTA, Mr. TED LIEU of California, Mr. DEFAZIO, Ms. FUDGE, Mr. 

KIHUEN, Mr. GALLEGO, and Ms. DEGETTE) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in 

addition to the Committee on House Administration, for a period to be 


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•HRES 1058 IH 

subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration 

of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing support for designation of the month of 

September as ‘‘National Voting Rights Month’’. 

Whereas voting is one of the single most important rights 

that can be exercised in our democracy; 

Whereas over the course of history, various voter suppression 

laws in the United States have hindered, and even prohibited, certain individuals and groups from exercising 

this right; 

Whereas during the 19th and early 20th centuries, Native 

Americans and Americans who were born abroad, spoke 

a language other than English, or were formerly subjected to slavery, were denied full citizenship and prevented from voting by English literacy tests; 

Whereas from 1954 to 1968, minority groups such as African 

Americans in the South suffered from the oppressive effects of Jim Crow laws designed to prevent political, economic, and social mobility; 

Whereas African Americans, Latinos, Asian Americans, Native Americans, and other underrepresented voters were 

subject to violence, poll taxes, literacy tests, all White primaries, property ownership tests, grandfather clauses, 

voter roll purges, and the prevention of former prisoners 

from voting; 


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•HRES 1058 IH 

Whereas in 1965, Congress passed the Voting Rights Act of 

1965 to protect the rights of African Americans and 

other traditionally disenfranchised groups to vote; 

Whereas in 2013, the Supreme Court invalidated section 4 of 

the Voting Rights Act of 1965, dismantling the 

preclearance provision in the law that protected voters in 

States that historically have suppressed the rights of minorities to vote; 

Whereas since the preclearance provisions of the Voting 

Rights Act of 1965 have been vacated, many States gerrymandered districts have gone unchallenged or have become less likely to be invalidated by the courts; 

Whereas these gerrymandered districts have been found to 

have a discriminatory impact on traditionally 

disenfranchised minorities through tactics that include 

‘‘cracking’’, diluting their voting power across many districts, and ‘‘packing’’, concentrating minority voters’ 

power in one district to reduce their voting power in 

other districts; 

Whereas the courts have found the congressional and, in 

some cases, State legislative district maps in Texas, 

North Carolina, Florida, and Wisconsin to be gerrymandered districts that were created with the intent of 

interfering with the constitutional right to vote; 

Whereas the Shelby County v. Holder Supreme Court decision calls on Congress to fix the formula in the Voting 

Rights Act of 1965; 

Whereas in 33 States, some form of restrictive voting law has 

been instituted since 2013; 

Whereas these restrictive voting laws encompass cutbacks in 

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ment in minority communities, requirement of photo 

identification—the procurement of which amounts to a 

modern day poll tax, and elimination of same-day registration; 

Whereas more than 80 million minority, elderly, poor, and 

disabled voters could be disenfranchised by these changes 

in voting; 

Whereas in 2016, discriminatory laws in North Carolina, 

Wisconsin, North Dakota, and Texas have been ruled unconstitutional and overturned by the courts; 

Whereas there are local elected officials who refuse to adhere 

to Federal court decisions that have struck down suppressive voting laws instituted since the Supreme Court’s 

Shelby County v. Holder case; 

Whereas there is much more work to be done to ensure all 

Americans have the right to vote; 

Whereas National Voter Registration Day is September 25; 

and 

Whereas the month of September would be an appropriate 

month to designate as ‘‘National Voting Rights Month’’: 

Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) supports the designation of ‘‘National Vot3 ing Rights Month’’; 

4 (2) encourages all people in the United States 

5 to uphold the right of every American to exercise 

6 their sacred and fundamental right to vote; and 

7 (3) endorses the following solutions to further 

8 the mission of allowing all citizens to vote: 


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1 (A) Our Nation’s public schools and uni2 versities should develop an academic curriculum 

3 under which students would learn about the im4 portance of voting, how to become registered to 

5 vote, where to vote, and the different forms of 

6 voting. This curriculum would include teaching 

7 the history of voter suppression in America be8 fore the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was passed. 

9 It would also teach students about current 

10 issues that are related to laws that have been 

11 passed to restrict the vote since 1965 or any ac12 tions taken by State and Federal Government 

13 officials since passage of the Voting Rights Act 

14 of 1965 that have created barriers to being able 

15 to vote. 

16 (B) The Postal Service should issue a spe17 cial Fannie Lou Hamer stamp during the 

18 month of September, to remind Americans 

19 about how ordinary citizens risked their lives, 

20 marched, and participated in our great democ21 racy so all Americans would have the funda22 mental right to vote. 

23 (C) Congress should allocate the requisite 

24 funds needed for public service announcements 

25 on television, radio, newspapers, magazines, soVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:50 Sep 13, 2018 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR1058.IH HR1058

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1 cial media, billboards, buses, and other forms of 

2 media to remind Americans when elections are 

3 being held, and to urge people to get out and 

4 vote. 

5 (D) Congress should pass legislation that 

6 will allow all citizens upon reaching the age of 

7 18 to be automatically registered to vote in 

8 Federal elections. 

Æ 


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