Providing for Consideration of H.R. for the People Act of Providing for Consideration of H.R. George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of and for Other Purposes

Floor Speech

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Mr. BLUMENAUER. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the gentleman's courtesy.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1 is the most significant democracy reform package in a generation. It will make it easier to vote--regardless of income, ability, geography, or race; ends the domination of big money in politics; and enacts tougher ethics standards to ensure that public officials actually work for the American people.

Mr. Speaker, I am particularly proud of three provisions that I helped incorporate into this bill:

Bringing the Oregon vote-by-mail model nationwide;

Paving the way for all States to offer vote-by-mail and early voting;

And automatic voter registration for individuals interacting with State agencies.

Mr. Speaker, this is personal for me. I started my political career as a college student, testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee on the constitutional amendment to lower the voting age. I spent 2 years of my life working in Oregon on that and on the national campaign. Subsequently, I was on a national commission from the Ford Foundation, the National League of Women Voters, and the Civic League to deal with how we were to reform the election process to make it more uniform and easier for the American people.

Mr. Speaker, I was proud of that work, but I am a little embarrassed that that was four decades ago and we are still talking about the need for those reforms. And as my colleagues have mentioned, there are people right now in various State legislatures that are actively continuing a process of making it hard for Americans to vote. This is embarrassing. This isn't just a matter of what happened with civil rights, this has been refined as a high art to be able to gerrymander people into unrepresentative patterns that undercuts the ability of politicians selecting their voters, rather than people selecting their politicians.

Mr. Speaker, I have been pained by the lies that have been made about mail-in voting. I am the first Member of the House of Representatives to be elected as a result of a mail-in ballot. We pioneered that in 1996, and we have continued to pioneer that effort. And it is secure, it is convenient, it saves money for local government. It allows people to process this in their own home, in their own time, in their own way. In an era of the pandemic, it provides health--keeping older poll workers from being exposed.

The notion that somehow this is a problem that justified some of the outrageous statements and behavior, defies description.

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Mr. BLUMENAUER. Mr. Speaker, I am pained with this misrepresentation that the President of the United States would denigrate mail-in balloting while he, in fact, does it. This has been done by Republicans and Democrats alike. It is secure. It is safe. And it helps the American people.

Mr. Speaker, I strongly urge approval of H.R. 1 and rejection of the bogus claims about the problems alleged with mail-in ballots. It is the most secure. It is the most effective. And it is one that I think the public deserves.

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