The Shelby V. Holder Decision and the Recent Wave of Voter Suppression Laws
Floor Speech
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Ms. SEWELL of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to address the cornerstone of our democracy: our right to vote. After the Supreme Court's 2013 Shelby County v. Holder decision, core aspects of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 were invalidated, and eligible voters now face new barriers to casting their ballot, including many voters in Alabama. Because of the Court decision, many states have enacted new voter restrictions. For example, Alabama has implemented a photo identification law, which has barred many from participating in our elections. Twenty-one million Americans, over 10 percent of the eligible voting population, do not have a government- issued ID and, in many states, these Americans are consequently unable to vote. Senior citizens and the disabled, people who also call my district home, have been adversely impacted by the recent wave of voter suppression laws. My father was one of these voters, and I witnessed firsthand the struggles he faced just to be able to vote for his daughter when Alabama's voting law were changed. Obtaining a photo ID is no easy task, especially since many handicapped individuals have limited mobility. The decrease in the number of driver's license offices in Alabama over the past decade has worsened this issue. Out of the 10 counties with the highest percentages of African-American voters, which constitute a majority of my district, eight have lost ID offices. Many polling stations throughout the state have also shut down, and at the local level, these changes have disproportionately affected area with a large number of black voters. Mr. Speaker, voting is a right, not a privilege. We should be working to make our elections more accessible, not less accessible. As the U.S. Representative of Alabama's 7th Congressional District, the Civil Rights District of America, I have made it a top priority to restore the vote. That is why I have introduced H.R. 2978, the Voting Rights Advancement Act. My legislation restores and expands the original Voting Rights Act by providing federal oversight of election changes in states with a history of voter discrimination. The recent wave of voter suppression laws undermines the progress of our nation's civil rights trailblazers, from the women of Seneca Falls to the marchers in my hometown of Selma. We should not let them down, and we should not let our voters down. I urge Congress to come together in a bipartisan effort to improve access to the ballot and pass H.R. 2978. It is our responsibility to uphold what our constituents so rightfully deserve: a government of the people, for the people, by the people.
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