The Battle Wages on: Securing Equal Voting Rights in the United States

Floor Speech

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Ms. KELLY of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, it is an honor and a privilege to be before you this evening on the heels of our Nation's recognizing the 50th anniversary of the Selma marchers which tore down many obstructive barriers to voting for African Americans and which led to the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

We have grown as a nation since the night Jimmie Lee Jackson was murdered peacefully marching for voting rights in Alabama, and we are not the America we were when Mamie Till made the world see what had been done to her baby. But we are still living in dynamic times for our democracy. Selma has changed, but the issues of Ferguson, Missouri, remain.

Nearly 60 years after Emmett Till was buried, Black mothers still worry about the value of their son's lives when they leave home. We are reminded of this every time we look into the eyes of Trayvon Martin's mother. We are better today than we were then, and the changes we made to our laws paved our path to prosperity. The President spoke of this in Selma, and Republicans and Democrats alike were united in our feeling that we must uphold the promise of the Nation we inherited because of Selma.

The U.S. Senate should vote to confirm very qualified and exceptional U.S. Attorney Loretta Lynch as the next Attorney General. The CBC devoted an hour of floor testimony last month in defense of her confirmation, but in her role as Attorney General, Loretta Lynch will be tasked with defending the Federal laws that protect the right to vote, and that brings us to our topic this evening.

Tonight's Congressional Black Caucus Special Order hour is entitled: ``The Battle Wages On: Securing Equal Voting Rights in the United States.'' This topic is truly timely. This conversation needs to take place now. Work remains to secure equal voting rights in the United States.

Actions like the Supreme Court's decision to gut the Voting Rights Act remind us that the equality that should exist at the ballot is still lacking and why I dream of a day when the Voting Rights Act is no longer necessary. The truth is that voter discrimination and suppression remain as tragic legacies of our past.

In the past few years, many States have introduced restrictive legislation that diminishes an individual's access to the voting booth. The Justice Department may have the tools to fix this problem and go after places that are discriminating against certain voters.

In some places, getting a voter ID that you can use to vote can cost up to $150, and that can be a burden for someone who is on a fixed income and not driving anymore and doesn't have a license.

Discriminatory laws and policies that hamper access to the ballot box are reasons that the protections and the Voting Rights Act are necessary. The VRA must remain intact as its principles are powerful democratic agents that make our Union more perfect.

With that, I would like to kick off this Special Order hour by yielding to my colleague and anchor, a man who has dedicated his life to the issues of justice in America--a lawyer, judge, and statesman who has defended voting rights--the chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, the Honorable G.K. Butterfield of North Carolina.

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Ms. KELLY of Illinois. I thank the gentlewoman from North Carolina, again, for her insight and comments.

Here we are, 50 years removed from Selma, 50 years after Americans--young and old, Black, White, Asian, Hispanic, Native American, Jewish--made a decision to stand up for what they knew was right. They stood up for democracy and demanded fair and unobstructed access to the ballot.

As you have heard this hour, the evolution to the America we are today has been a long and challenging journey. The Voting Rights Act has done much to make our Union more perfect, but the strength of the Voting Rights Act has been diminished. With new, discriminatory laws on the books, this Congress must act. This Congress can pass a bipartisan bill that extends section 5 of the Voting Rights Act.

As was the case in Selma, the law is not equal for all. We must unite, as we did then. I urge my colleagues to take up this important issue and strengthen the Voting Rights Act.

I would like to take this time to thank the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Butterfield) and all my colleagues who took the time to speak to us this evening.

I yield back the balance of my time.

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