IV 
109TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. CON. RES. 216 
Expressing the sense of the Congress that, as Congress observes the 40th 
anniversary of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and encourages all Ameri-
cans to do the same, it will advance the legacy of the Voting Rights 
Act of 1965 by ensuring the continued effectiveness of the Act to protect 
the voting rights of all Americans. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 22, 2005 
Mr. LEWIS of Georgia (for himself, Mr. CONYERS, Mr. SENSENBRENNER, Mr. 
CHABOT, and Mr. NADLER) submitted the following concurrent resolu-
tion; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 
Expressing the sense of the Congress that, as Congress ob-
serves the 40th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act 
of 1965 and encourages all Americans to do the same, 
it will advance the legacy of the Voting Rights Act of 
1965 by ensuring the continued effectiveness of the Act 
to protect the voting rights of all Americans. 
Whereas brave Americans, known and unknown, of different 
races, ethnicities, and religions, risked their lives to stand 
for political equality and against racial discrimination in 
a quest culminating in the passage of the Voting Rights 
Act of 1965;
•HCON 216 IH 
Whereas numerous Americans paid the ultimate price in pur-
suit of that quest, while demanding that our nation live 
up to the guarantees enshrined in the 14th and 15th 
amendments to the United States Constitution; 
Whereas the historic struggle for equal voting rights led non-
violent civil rights marchers to gather on the Edmund 
Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama on March 7, 1965, a 
day that would come to be known as ‘‘Bloody Sunday,’’ 
where their bravery was tested by a brutal response, 
which in turn sent a clarion call to the nation that the 
fulfillment of our democratic ideals could no longer be de-
nied; 
Whereas eight days after Bloody Sunday, President Lyndon 
B. Johnson called for a comprehensive and effective vot-
ing rights bill as a necessary response by Congress and 
the President to the interference and violence, in violation 
of the 14th and 15th amendments, encountered by Afri-
can American citizens when attempting to protect and ex-
ercise the right to vote; 
Whereas a bipartisan Congress approved the Voting Rights 
Act of 1965 and on August 6, 1965, President Lyndon 
B. Johnson signed this landmark legislation into law; 
Whereas the Voting Rights Act of 1965 stands as a tribute 
to the heroism of countless Americans and serves as one 
of the Nation’s most important civil rights victories, ena-
bling political empowerment and voter enfranchisement 
for all Americans; 
Whereas the Voting Rights Act of 1965 effectuates the per-
manent guarantee of the 15th amendment that ‘‘the right 
of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be de-
nied or abridged by the United States or by any State
•HCON 216 IH 
on account of race, color, or previous condition of ser-
vitude’’; 
Whereas the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was amended in 
1975 to facilitate equal political opportunity for language 
minority citizens and was amended in 1982 to protect the 
rights of voters with disabilities; 
Whereas the Voting Rights Act of 1965 has helped advance 
true democracy in America by encouraging political par-
ticipation by all citizens and providing voters with the 
ability to elect their representatives in the Federal, State, 
and local governments; 
Whereas the Voting Rights Act of 1965 has increased voter 
registration among racial, ethnic, and language minori-
ties, as well as enhanced the ability of those citizens to 
participate in the political process and elect representa-
tives of their choice to public office, the result of which 
is reflected in 81 African American, Latino, Asian, and 
Native American Members of Congress and thousands of 
minority State and local officials elected nationwide; 
Whereas despite the noteworthy progress from 40 years of 
enforcement of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, voter in-
equities, disparities, and obstacles still remain for far too 
many minority voters and serve to demonstrate the ongo-
ing importance of the Voting Rights Act of 1965; 
Whereas the Voting Rights Act of 1965 provides extensive 
voter protections, such as equipping voters with the 
means to challenge election laws that result in a denial 
or abridgement of voting rights on account of race, color, 
or language minority status (section 2), eliminating lit-
eracy tests nationwide (section 201), requiring federal ap-
proval before covered jurisdictions (those with a history
•HCON 216 IH 
of practices that restrict minority voting) rights can im-
plement changes in existing voting practices and proce-
dures (section 5), providing the Department of Justice 
with the authority to appoint federal election monitors 
and observers to ensure that elections are conducted free 
from discrimination and intimidation (sections 6–9), and 
mandating language assistance and translated voting ma-
terials in jurisdictions with substantial concentrations of 
language minorities (section 203); 
Whereas several of these provisions of the Voting Rights Act 
of 1965 will expire in August 2007 unless Congress acts 
to preserve and reauthorize them; 
Whereas it is vital to our democracy at home, and to our ef-
forts to promote democracy abroad, that the provisions of 
the Voting Rights Act of 1965 are fully effective to pre-
vent discrimination and dilution of the equal rights of mi-
nority voters; 
Whereas in 2005, the year marking the 40th anniversary of 
the Voting Rights Act of 1965, we must applaud the sub-
stantial progress that has been made in protecting the 
right to vote, but continue efforts to ensure fairness and 
equal access to the political process in the United States 
in order to protect the rights of every American; and 
Whereas the Voting Rights Act of 1965 has been widely 
hailed as the single most important achievement of our 
civil rights laws: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
concurring), That the Congress—
•HCON 216 IH 
(1) observes and celebrates the 40th anniver-
sary of the enactment of the Voting Rights Act of 
1965; 
(2) pledges to advance the legacy of the Voting 
Rights Act of 1965 to ensure its continued effective-
ness in protecting the voting rights of all Americans; 
and 
(3) encourages all Americans to celebrate the 
40th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. 
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