Date: 2006-07-12
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. the passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act was our greatest accomplishment in the long struggle against discrimination and oppression. It has changed the face of this Nation and enabled millions of Americans the opportunity to vote. During the 1960s. we saw many brave men and women rise up against the oppression of Jim Crow and demand an equal voice in our democracy. In this battle for the most basic of rights. many heroic Americans were beaten and imprisoned. saw their churches burned or bombed. or were killed in the name of freedom and justice. I am proud to serve alongside Congressman JOHN LEWIS. whose bravery and presence during that historic march in Selma changed this Nation. There are many young people who may not know of this battle towards equality. It is imperative we recognize and celebrate our great accomplishments as a nation. We cannot develop future policies or laws without applying the lessons we have learned from the past. This August will mark the 41st anniversary of the Voting Rights Act. There are many who say there is no longer a need for the Voting Rights Act. Unfortunately. this is not the case. It is true that we have made remarkable progress since 1965. however. there is still much work to be done. Minorities continue to face an uphill battle of misinformation over polling locations. the purging of voter rolls. scare tactics. and inaccessible voting locations. Prior to the 2004 elections. students at Prairie View A&M were told they could no longer register to vote in Waller County. Texas. The fear was that the eight thousand students at this Historically Black College would elect someone the local District Attorney didnt want. The Voting Rights Act helped protect these students from becoming disenfranchised voters. This change in voter registration was not precleared by the Department of Justice. as required by Section 5. Ultimately. the Texas Attomey General and the Department of Justice intervened and provided these students with the access and opportunity to vote This is just one example of why we still need Section 5 and the Voting Rights Act. . Section 5 is current. necessary and protects the rights of millions of Americans. The reality is that there are still some people out there who dont want minorities to vote. As part of the backlash against illegal immigration. there have been calls to eliminate bilingual voting assistance. I feel that Americans should be able to speak English. however. I do not endorse testing language abilities as a prerequisite to vote. Those who receive bilingual voting assistance are American citizens. They werent required to pass a language test to pay taxes or serve in the military. so they shouldnt have to prove their language skills in order to vote. The Voting Rights Act was not and never will be about special rightsit is about equal rights. Our democracy and our values as Americans are contingent upon the idea that every person should have the right to vote and have that vote counted. We have made amazing progress since the enactment of the Voting. Rights Act. but progress does not mean that we stop trying. Now is the time to reauthorize this historic cornerstone of civil rights. It is imperative to our rights. our freedom and our democracy.