Rep. John Lewis Speaks Out Against Republican Attack on Voting Assistance

Press Release

Today, the U.S. House of Representatives will vote on The Election Support Consolidation and Efficiency Act (H.R. 672) a bill crafted by the Republican leadership aimed at abolishing the Elections Assistance Commission. The commission was established after the fabled "hanging chads" episode in Florida turned the Presidential election of the year 2000 into a nightmare. There were questions about how exit polls taken by news organizations covering the elections drastically differed from the final results in Florida, and serious questions about the malfunctioning of electronic voting machines. For the first time in year a recount was called in a national election, and the U.S. Supreme Court intervened in an unprecedented and controversial way to stop the recount mandated by Florida courts.

The Election Assistance Commission was established to help resolve these problems by ensuring voting equipment security and to address the malfunctioning of electronic voting machines, which caused the debacle in Florida and in other states. Under the guise of fiscal constraint, Republicans are characterizing the termination of this institution as a cost-saving measure, but it s real impact will be to damage the credibility of elections in the U.S. and impede access to the ballot box by certain groups.

"Voting rights are under attack in America," said Rep. John Lewis. "Quietly, yet persistently some of the rights that many people died for are being taken away. Yesterday, June 21st was the anniversary of the disappearance of Andrew Goodman, Mickey Schwerner and James Chaney. They were three, young civil rights workers who came to Mississippi in the summer of 1963 to ensure that American citizens could exercise their right to vote. These young voting rights activists were arrested by the sheriff, turned over to the Klan, beaten, shot, and killed trying to make sure Americans could participate freely in the democratic process.

"On the anniversary of their disappearance, the U.S. House of Representatives led by a Republican majority is not debating the needs for jobs in America. They are not discussing our crumbling roads, bridges and infrastructure. They are not fighting to preserve the pensions of working Americans or trying to protect Medicaid, Medicare or Social Security. They are striking down the Election Assistance Commission, which helped certify and test faulty voting machines and made machine manufacturers accountable. The EAC has also streamlined voting for men and women on military bases, provided voting materials for non-English speaking citizens, and made it easier for citizens traveling abroad during an election to vote.

"The American people should be asking why the House is spending its valuable legislative time on this kind of bill. They say the purpose is to save money, but if we separate citizens from their right to vote, then what will our savings preserve? What kind of democracy will we have left? The vote is the most powerful tool we have in a democratic society. If we as citizens allow its power to be neutralized, we will be facing the need for a new movement and a new non-violent revolution in America to retake the same ground we won 50 years ago."

Republican leadership across the country has given rise to attempts to weaken voting rights across the country through photo ID legislation, now also the law in Georgia. In this legislative year, 37 states across America are considering photo ID legislation, which the Brennan Center for Justice says could raise the costs of elections in some states as much as 50 percent. Several court cases have been launched angling for a hearing in the Supreme Court in an attempt to gut the Voting Rights Act. There have been widespread felon disenfranchisement efforts and citizenship checks, which encumbered the 2010 vote in Georgia.

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