Introduction of the Our Homes Our Votes Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. GARCIA of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I rise today to introduce the Our Homes Our Votes Act along with my colleague from Pennsylvania, Mary Gay Scanlon and my colleague from Georgia, Nikema Williams. This bill will help close the voter turnout gap between rich and poor by making it easier for eligible tenants in federally subsidized housing to register to vote.

People have fought and died for the right to vote in this country, but many still face barriers to voting. Tenants in federally subsidized housing already have their residence and identity verified by public agencies, and this bill will allow them to register to vote as they sign their lease and verify their income without duplicating information or finding additional paperwork to fill out.

The best way to confront this country's history of voter suppression is to remove barriers to voting that exist today. Eligible voters in working class districts like mine vote at lower rates than wealthier voters, and that discrepancy undermines our democracy. This bill is a step toward fixing that, and I urge this body to advance it.

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