Providing for Consideration of S.J. Res. Disapproving the Rule Submitted By the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection Relating to ``Overdraft Lending: Very Large Financial Institutions''; Providing for Consideration of S.J. Res. Disapproving the Rule Submitted By the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection Relating to ``Defining Larger Participants of A Market for General-Use Digital Consumer Payment Applications''; Providing for Consideration of H.R. No Rogue Rulings Act of Providing for Consideration of H.R. Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act; and for Other Purposes

Floor Speech

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Ms. JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition today to the Republicans' voter suppression act. This bill is not about election integrity. This is not about ensuring that only citizens vote. This is about making it impossible for people and new voters to vote.

Mr. Speaker, this has played out in Texas and other jurisdictions across the country. Yet, in 2021, Texas has led the Nation in voter suppression, rejecting nearly 13 percent of mail-in ballots. Texas rejected nearly 13 percent of ballots cast by rightful citizens of this country, people who are being disfranchised for exercising their right to vote.

The Republicans are really using this patriotic chest-beating moment of voting in an attempt to make it difficult for people of color, for seniors, for veterans, for persons with disabilities to be able to go and cast their vote.

I filed three amendments to make this bill better that were all rejected by the Republicans, one of which would have made it possible to provide documentation of citizenship through online means, to register online. There are millions of people in this country who cannot physically get to a polling place. There are men and women in our service branches who are stationed abroad who cannot physically get back to their polling place in their jurisdiction to register to vote.

We are basically telling these citizens of this country that their votes don't count. We don't care if they can vote. We don't care how hard it is, and we are going to make it impossible for them to vote.

Republicans categorically rejected that amendment.

Mr. Speaker, what about the accountability for making sure that election officials don't screw up and tell a citizen of this country that they don't get to vote? Where is the right to cure? I filed an amendment that would have said that, if citizens were wrongfully denied the right to vote, they would have 24 hours to get a hearing to have a judge take a look at it to prove that the election clerk got it wrong and that they are an American citizen and deserve to be able to cast their ballot.

Republicans categorically rejected that. It is an atrocity on the American public, and it is an atrocity for citizens who are trying to duly cast their vote.

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