Statement of U.S. Senator Russ Feingold
In Support of the Voting Rights Act
As Prepared for Delivery from the Senate Floor
July 20, 2006
Listen to Senator Feingold's
Statement
Mr. President, I rise today to speak in support of the Fannie Lou Hamer,
Rosa Parks, and Coretta Scott King Voting Rights Act Reauthorization
and Amendments Act of 2006. I am pleased to be a cosponsor of, and to
have participated in the hearings held by the Judiciary Committee on,
this incredibly significant legislation.
The Voting Rights Act may very well be the most important piece of
federal legislation ever passed. For without a meaningful chance to
vote, there can be no equality before the law, no equal access to justice,
no equal opportunity in the workplace or to share in the benefits and
burdens of citizenship. Brave Americans risked their very lives in marches
and demonstrations to pass this historic legislation.
The electoral process in this country has improved significantly as
result of the Voting Rights Act. This success is evident in the increased
participation in elections by minority voters and in the enhanced ability
of minority voters to elect candidates of their choice. There is no
doubt that progress has been made. But I think that Ted Shaw, President
of the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund, put it best when he testified
before the Senate Judiciary Committee that: “The Voting Rights
Act was drafted to rid the country of racial discrimination –
not simply to reduce racial discrimination in voting to what some view
as a tolerable level.”
As a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and as Ranking Member
of the Subcommittee on the Constitution, you can take it from me that
the Committee has done due diligence in examining this issue. But you
don’t have to take it from me, of course: the extensive record
the Committee has compiled powerfully demonstrates the importance of
the reauthorizing legislation before us today. Even in recent election
cycles, Americans continue to be disenfranchised by discriminatory redistricting
plans, through the denial of voting materials that they are entitled
to under the law, and through changes to election procedure that disadvantage
minority candidates and voters, among other things.
It is also worth noting that just a few weeks ago, the Supreme Court
recognized that discriminatory re-districting plans are not a vestige
of the past – finding a purposeful effort to dilute the voting
power of over one hundred thousand Latino-Americans. It is clear to
me, Mr. President, that we have come a long way from the bridge in Selma,
Alabama, but we have not come far enough.
Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act has been instrumental in bringing
about the dramatic improvements in voting rights and representation
for minorities in covered areas. Keeping it in place, with a reasonable
bailout provision, is the best way to be sure that we don’t lose
the progress that has taken place. And let me just say in response to
some comments that were made during the Judiciary Committee’s
hearings that all Members of Congress, regardless of whether they are
in a covered or non-covered jurisdiction, and regardless of their political
affiliation, have an interest in ensuring the continued effectiveness
of the Voting Rights Act. As federal legislators we have a responsibility
to address and eliminate discrimination wherever it is found. The integrity
of our elections and of our very democracy depends on it.
Let’s not falter now. Let’s not stop or turn back the clock
but rather build on the extraordinary success of this legislation, and
re-affirm the promise that all citizens, no matter what the color of
their skin, can participate fully and equally in the electoral process.
We must reauthorize the expiring provisions of the Act. We must ensure
that Section 5 can continue to serve as a powerful deterrent to violations
in areas of the country with a history of systemic discrimination at
the polls. We must also reauthorize Section 203, which has empowered
many voters with limited English proficiency to participate in our democratic
process. And it is also important that the Senate restore the original
understanding of the Act with respect to the opportunity-to-elect standard
and to election procedures with discriminatory intent.
There is much more work to do in terms of eradicating discrimination
from our elections process, and reauthorizing and strengthening the
Voting Rights Act is a step in the right direction. I will vote in favor
of S. 2703, and I urge my colleagues to do the same.
I yield the floor.
|
