Congressman Thompson Urges Passage of Voting Rights Renewal

CONGRESSMAN THOMPSON URGES PASSAGE OF VOTING RIGHTS RENEWAL

Today, United States Representative Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS) released the following statement regarding the impending House vote on H.R. 9, the Fannie Lou Hamer, Rosa Parks, and Coretta Scott King Voting Rights Act Reauthorization and Amendments Act of 2006:

"Mississippi has more African-American elected officials than any other state in the Union because of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. Every African-American elected official in this State owes a debt of gratitude to passage of the VRA. Its passage emboldened millions of African-Americans to exercise their constitutional right to vote without fear of reprisal by those who believed in the superiority of one race over another. With the most recent VRA authorization set to expire, including the Section 5 pre-clearance provisions, Congress must act now to reauthorize these provisions so that those who may face discrimination in their efforts to participate in the political process are not denied that right."

Congressman Thompson is a co-sponsor of the H.R. 9, which will be debated on the floor of the House of Representatives.

http://benniethompson.house.gov/HoR/MS02/News/Press+Releases/2006/CONGRESSMAN+THOMPSON.htm