Fannie Lou Hamer, Rosa Parks, and Coretta Scott King Voting Rights Act Reauthorization And Amendments Act of 2006

FANNIE LOU HAMER, ROSA PARKS, AND CORETTA SCOTT KING VOTING RIGHTS ACT REAUTHORIZATION AND AMENDMENTS ACT OF 2006 -- (House of Representatives - July 13, 2006)

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Ms. DeGETTE. Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong support of H.R. 9, the Fannie Lou Hamer, Rosa Parks, and Coretta Scott King Voting Rights Act Reauthorization and Amendments Act of 2006. I am honored to have an opportunity to vote for H.R. 9, a bipartisan bill which makes important changes to the Voting Rights Act and extends otherwise expiring provisions for another 25 years.

As we reaffirm the Voting Rights Act today, it is worth remembering where we were before its historic initial passage. During the end of the 19th and the first half of the 20th centuries, State and local governments, particularly in the South, used multiple schemes to deny minorities, mainly African-Americans, the ability to register and meaningfully vote. These insidious methods included poll taxes, property requirements, literacy tests, residency requirements, the changing of election systems, and the redrawing of municipal boundaries.

The real beginning of the end of this disenfranchisement was the enactment of the initial Voting Rights Act of 1965, courageously passed by Congress and signed into law by President Lyndon Baines Johnson. As applied to certain States and jurisdictions, among other provisions, it prohibited literacy tests, authorized the sending of Federal examiners and observers to make sure people could register and vote, and required changes in election laws or systems be approved by the Federal Government to ensure minorities were protected.

Over the years the Voting Rights Act has been extended and improved numerous times. Congress expanded its protections to cover language minorities, required elections services, in certain circumstances, to be provided in a language other than English, and overruled the 1980 Supreme Court case of City of Mobile v. Bolden, allowing plaintiffs to prove violations of voting rights laws by showing a discriminatory effect as opposed to requiring a showing of discriminatory intent.

The results of the Voting Rights Act have been dramatic. The registration of African-American voters in the 11 States of the former Confederacy increased from 43.1 percent in 1964 to 62.0 percent in 1968. The gap between African-American and White registration rates shrank as well across much of the South. For example, in Mississippi this gap decreased from 63.2 percentage points in March 1965 to 6.3 percentage points in 1988.

Having a meaningful opportunity to exercise one's right to vote is no longer simply an abstract idea we talk about, but is instead a goal we strive to achieve for all. The evidence shows it is a mark we are increasingly meeting and all Americans should be proud of what we have been able to accomplish. As we celebrate our progress, however, it is important to remember that challenges remain.

Whether it is because of outdated election machinery or long lines at the polls, many people still find it difficult to vote. Too often these impediments are faced disproportionally by minorities and low-income citizens. The Federal Government must continue the role it started in earnest back in 1965, and continued through the Help America Vote Act of 2002, of working to ensure that all Americas are free to exercise their right to vote. Through its involvement and commitment of resources, I know we will succeed.

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