Providing For Consideration Of H.R. 4844, Federal Election Integrity Act Of 2006

PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 4844, FEDERAL ELECTION INTEGRITY ACT OF 2006 -- (Extensions of Remarks - September 26, 2006)

SPEECH OF HON. BETTY McCOLLUM OF MINNESOTA
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Wednesday, September 20, 2006

* Ms. McCOLLUM of Minnesota. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to strongly oppose H.R. 4844, Republican legislation that would suppress voter participation by mandating burdensome new voter identification requirements. This bill is similar to State laws that have recently been struck down as unconstitutional conditions to voting.

* H.R. 4844 is a discriminatory political ploy. No empirical data of voter fraud exists that justifies such onerous new mandates. The bill requires individuals to have a State or Federally approved photo identification in order to vote in federal elections in 2008 and to provide documented proof of citizenship by 2010. For those voting by mail, H.R. 4844 requires a photocopy of identification to be sent with the absentee ballot. In reality, the legislation would disenfranchise millions of American citizens who do not possess the required identification.

* Not surprisingly, those who will struggle most to comply with this bill are the same citizens the Voting Rights Act is designed to protect: racial and ethnic minorities, students, the elderly, individuals with disabilities, Americans living in rural areas, the homeless and low-income citizens. This burden will be overwhelming for many Native Americans, particularly elders and those living in remote areas, or those that use primarily tribal identification.

In addition, a study conducted at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee found that only 50 percent of African American and Latino men in Milwaukee had government issued photo identification that would allow them to vote in 2008. To obtain a drivers' license, birth certificate, passport or naturalization papers to meet the bill's requirements low-income citizens will face financial burdens and lost time from work while the elderly may struggle to make a trip to the local DMV. And citizens who lost their vital documents in the aftermath of Hurricane's Katrina and Rita should expect to face one final insult from Washington when they lose their right to vote.

* In addition, H.R. 4844 fails to specify how disputes over identification would be handled by poll workers. Consequently, the bill places an undue and irresponsible amount of discretion in the hands of overworked poll workers, which opens the door to widespread racial and ethnic discrimination at polling places. Imposing new barriers to the right of Americans to vote is simply unnecessary. Existing federal laws impose strict penalties on non-citizens who attempt to vote illegally. The success of existing federal laws is underscored by the fact that supporters of H.R. 4844 were unable to offer data to establish a need for this bill.

* The Help America Vote Act, HAVA, that Congress passed with bipartisan support in 2002 proved that securing the integrity of our elections process need not come at the cost of voter access. Congress should reject H.R. 4844 and instead, fulfill promises made in HAVA by providing States with the $800 million they need to expand access and prevent voter fraud. The Republican Majority should be held accountable for championing H.R. 4844, a bill that casually and callously undermines the constitutionally guaranteed right of all Americans to vote.

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