III 

112TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 572 

Designating September 2012 as the ‘‘National Month of Voter Registration’’. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

SEPTEMBER 20, 2012 

Mr. CARDIN (for himself, Mr. SANDERS, Mrs. BOXER, Mr. MERKLEY, and Mr. 

TESTER) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 

Committee on the Judiciary 

RESOLUTION 

Designating September 2012 as the ‘‘National Month of 

Voter Registration’’. 

Whereas the United States has overcome the stains of historic State-sponsored voting discrimination, including 

State laws that imposed voting qualifications such as 

property ownership, religious qualifications, grandfather 

clauses, poll taxes, and literacy tests and were designed 

to exclude racial minorities, poorer voters, and certain religious groups from voting; 

Whereas courts have struck down these State laws because 

the laws conflict with the Constitution of the United 

States; 

Whereas Congress has continuously moved to expand the 

franchise of voting; 


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•SRES 572 IS 

Whereas the 13th, 14th, 15th, 19th, 23rd, 24th, and 26th 

amendments to the Constitution of the United States are 

intended to protect minorities, poorer voters, women, the 

elderly, and youth from voting discrimination; 

Whereas, in 1965, Congress enacted the Voting Rights Act 

of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 1973 et seq.) to remedy past discrimination in voting and protect vulnerable citizens from 

practices that infringe on the right to vote or elect a candidate of their choice; 

Whereas, in 1993, Congress enacted the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (42 U.S.C. 1973gg et seq.) to establish protections around the voting process, increase 

the number of citizens who register to vote, and encourage governments to protect the integrity of the electoral 

process; 

Whereas, in 2002, in response to the controversy surrounding 

the 2000 presidential election, Congress enacted the Help 

America Vote Act of 2002 (42 U.S.C. 15301 et seq.), 

which provided new standards for voting systems, created 

the independent Election Assistance Commission to assist 

with the administration of Federal elections, and established minimum standards for States and local governments that administer Federal elections; 

Whereas Congress has reauthorized the Voting Rights Act of 

1965 5 times, most recently in 2006, recognizing the 

need for continued enforcement against State practices in 

voting that discriminate against or disenfranchise vulnerable citizens; 

Whereas, since 2010, some States have enacted voting laws 

that are reminiscent of historic State-sponsored voting 

discrimination; 


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Whereas some States have already disenfranchised some 

young people, elderly people, and former Members of 

Congress through strict new voting laws; 

Whereas some States continue to disenfranchise United 

States citizens with past criminal convictions who live 

and work in our communities; 

Whereas Members of Congress and notable civil rights organizations have studied recently-enacted State voting laws 

and calculated that the laws will have a grave impact on 

millions of minority, elderly, young, and poor individuals 

who are eligible to vote and will seek to register to vote 

and vote on election day; 

Whereas, since March 12, 2012, 2 State courts in Wisconsin 

have held that the Wisconsin voter identification law enacted in 2011 violates the Wisconsin constitution, with 

one court writing that ‘‘a government that undermines 

the very foundation of its existence—the people’s inherent, pre-constitutional right to vote—imperils its legitimacy as a government by the people, for the people, and 

especially of the people’’; 

Whereas Federal courts in both Florida and Washington, 

DC, recently struck down new Florida state laws that restrict new voter registration and early voting hours, with 

one court writing that the new restrictions on voter registration drives ‘‘impose burdensome record-keeping and 

reporting requirements that serve little if any purpose, 

thus rendering them unconstitutional even to the extent 

they do not violate the [National Voter Registration Act 

of 1993]’’, and another court holding, ‘‘[W]e conclude 

that we cannot . . . preclear Florida’s early voting 

changes because the State has failed to satisfy its burden 

of proving that those changes will not have a retrogresVerDate Mar 15 2010 07:33 Sep 21, 2012 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR572.IS SR572

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sive effect on minority voters. Specifically, the State has 

not proven that the changes will be nonretrogressive if 

the covered counties offer only the minimum number of 

early voting hours that they are required to offer under 

the new statute, which would constitute only half the 

hours required under the prior law.’’; 

Whereas a Federal court in Washington, DC, recently struck 

down a Texas voter identification law, writing that the 

law ‘‘imposes strict, unforgiving burdens on the poor’’ 

and that ‘‘a disproportionately high percentage of African 

Americans and Hispanics in Texas live in poverty’’; 

Whereas a Federal court in Ohio recently struck down a 

State law that mandated that even in cases where poll 

workers steer voters to the wrong polling place, provisional votes cast in the wrong precinct must be discarded; 

Whereas State representatives and political leaders in States 

such as New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, and Florida have 

made public admissions about how certain laws in their 

States were designed to put a dent in the democratic 

process; 

Whereas, without a response from Congress, millions of voters in the United States may be subjected to State actions that will harm the franchise; 

Whereas the month of September 2012 would be an appropriate month to commemorate a national focus on the importance of every citizen being registered and empowered 

to vote; 

Whereas, during September 2012, each voting-eligible citizen 

should register to vote, verify that the name, address, 

and other personal information on record for the citizen 

at the State or local board of elections is correct, confirm 


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that the citizen has everything in hand that will be required to vote on election day, and confirm the correct 

polling place for election day; and 

Whereas States should abolish all restrictive voter identification laws that disenfranchise vulnerable voting-eligible 

citizens, comply with the National Voter Registration Act 

of 1993, protect the voting rights of public assistance and 

disability clients during an economic downturn, and stop 

misguided, discriminatory, and inaccurate purging programs that have the risk of purging eligible voters: Now, 

therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) designates September 2012 as the ‘‘Na3 tional Month of Voter Registration’’ to encourage 

4 each voting-eligible citizen to register to vote, verify 

5 that the name, address, and other personal informa6 tion on record for the citizen at the State or local 

7 board of elections is correct, confirm that the citizen 

8 has everything in hand that will be required to vote 

9 on election day, and confirm the correct polling place 

10 for election day; 

11 (2) calls on State and local election officials to 

12 conduct public outreach and take affirmative steps 

13 to encourage voter registration; 

14 (3) encourages States to be fully compliant with 

15 the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 and 

16 other Federal voting rights laws as election day ap17 proaches; and 


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1 (4) requests that the President issue a procla2 mation for the National Month of Voter Registration 

3 calling upon the people of the United States to ob4 serve the month with appropriate programs, cere5 monies, and activities. 

Æ 


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