Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act

Floor Speech

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Ms. JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to the Republicans' voter suppression act.

I want to give Republicans one chance to actually fulfill the rhetoric that they are spouting to the American people, which is actually giving people the right to vote.

I appreciate efforts to ensure that our elections are safe and free from foreign interference and that only U.S. citizens can vote. However, one of my concerns with this bill is, as it is written, it does not allow for mail or online voter registration.

This bill, let me be perfectly clear, requires hardworking American people who go to work at 8 in the morning and who don't get off until 5 p.m. to go in person to a voter registration office, to take off work to go in person to register to vote.

That is why I have offered an amendment to have online voter registration. There are millions of servicemembers and their families serving our country overseas, individuals with disabilities, and seniors who are unable to vote in person. Why are we keeping these barriers for eligible citizens when the world is evolving around us?

We live in modern times, and so many of our lives happen online for daily activities. We can pay our bills and we can pay our taxes online. You can apply for college, a car, a home, and everything else online.

For this reason, at the appropriate time, I will offer a motion to recommit this bill back to committee. If the House rules permitted, I would have offered the motion with my commonsense amendment to this bill.

My amendment would ensure Americans could still register to vote and prove their citizenship online or by mail. This is a simple, commonsense amendment, and it would make certain that we can care for the people who can't get out of their homes and that this Congress is not depriving any eligible citizens of their right to vote.

Republicans have refused this amendment. Republicans are refusing your ability to go and make it easy for citizens to register to vote in this country. Republicans can now vote to pass this amendment.

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Ms. JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I have a motion to recommit at the desk.

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Ms. JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

The yeas and nays were ordered.

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