John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2021

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. FITZGERALD. Madam Speaker, I want to just remind everybody, no matter what side of the bill you are on, there is a huge trust issue going on in America right now. People do not trust the system, and that is everyone's problem. If you think a centralized election bill to move the power to Washington, D.C., and put it in the hands of Congress and the courts is going to help, you are wrong. They don't trust us and they don't trust the courts.

A decentralized system is what has worked in America. So make sure that after you support this legislation, you go back and you meet with the town clerk that runs the elections, the county clerks, the parish clerks, the municipal clerks, and yes, the State legislatures. I notice the State legislatures are taking a real beating here today.

Pre-clearance expansion. Is that a can of worms that this body really wants to open up? Printed ballots. Photo ID. Now we are going to mandate polling places, election timelines, primary mechanics, who can be a poll worker. These are all things that are included in H.R. 4. I just want to make sure the public is aware of that.

We are now taking the power away from the people and placing it right here in Washington, D.C., in Congress and in the courts exclusively.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source