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JOHN R. LEWIS VOTING RIGHTS ADVANCEMENT ACT OF 2021
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speech of
HON. KWEISI MFUME
of maryland
in the house of representatives
Tuesday, August 24, 2021
Mr. MFUME. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of a measure on which I am a proud original cosponsor--H.R. 4, the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2021. Named for my friend and classmate from the 100th Congress, Congressman John Lewis, H.R. 4 honors America's promise to keep our democracy open to all--regardless of gender, income, race, color, or creed.
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 are some of the most consequential acts of Congress passed in our lifetime. The Voting Rights Act was a needed countermeasure to the voter suppression efforts emanating across many states as a part of America's
``Jim Crow'' era.
The Voting Rights Act required preclearance of changes and adjustments made to voting laws by certain states and local jurisdiction--jurisdictions with long and demonstrated histories of discrimination. The jurisdictions captured by the preclearance designation are said to be subject to the ``coverage formula.''
In 2013, the Supreme Court struck down the ``coverage formula'' of the Voting Rights Act in many respects. The Court's rationale, with which I disagree, was the discrimination targeted by the original Voting Rights Act is outdated and is no longer relevant. It's a play on the notion of ``my ancestors discriminated against you, not me'' so there is no allowable remedy for that discrimination and its vestiges.
The John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act updates the coverage formula component of the Voting Rights Act, using data, testimony, and evidence captured by the House Committee on Administration through various hearings and briefings. Over the course of 13 hearings in two Congresses, including six just this year, the House Judiciary Committee built a substantial record demonstrating the continuing and current need for preclearance protections. Additionally, the House Administration Committee's Elections Subcommittee conducted numerous hearings and issued a report on ``Voting In America: Ensuring Free And Fair Access To The Ballot.''
The combined record shows that in the absence of a preclearance requirement, a number of states swiftly passed voter suppression laws, including many state and local jurisdictions that had previously been subject to preclearance before the 2013 Supreme Court decision. For example, within 24 hours of the ruling, Texas and North Carolina reinstated voter ID laws, which were later held to be intentionally racially discriminatory. These court rulings, however, came too late for many minority voters. In both states, their discriminatory laws were in effect for three years before being struck down, including during the 2014 midterm elections.
In short, without preclearance, these states were able to hold elections under discriminatory rules that banned minority citizens' ability to vote, and those citizens had no remedy for the harm they suffered. The onslaught of voter suppression targeting minority citizens has continued unabated.
Today, Americans face the worst voter suppression campaign in America since Jim Crow. State lawmakers have introduced over 400 voter suppression bills in 49 states this year alone. And at least 18 states enacted 30 laws that restrict access to the ballot, with likely many more on the way. These laws suppress the vote--they make mail voting and early voting more difficult, reduce availability at polling places, unleash a flurry of faulty voter purges, and exacerbate barriers at poll stations for Americans with disabilities, among other blatant suppression tactics.
Now, with H.R. 4, the House is restoring the preclearance protection with a new formula, which is ironclad constitutionally and which will make significant progress to restore the purpose of the Voting Right Act: ``banish the blight of racial discrimination in voting.''
As Members of Congress, our duty lies in upholding our democracy and serving the American people. Our nation provides the opportunity for its people to amplify their voices at the ballot box. The United States Constitution allows us to correct any underlying issue that poses a threat to this fundamental right.
I urge my colleagues to cast their vote in favor of this critical measure and to protect every citizen's vote from the wave of voter suppression laws flooding our Nation. Americans deserve nothing less than the ability to participate freely in our nation's political process.
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SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 167, No. 153
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