INTRODUCTION OF THE STREAMLINED AND IMPROVED METHODS AT POLLING LOCATIONS AND EARLY VOTING ACT; Congressional Record Vol. 165, No. 1
(Extensions of Remarks - January 03, 2019)
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[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E3]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
INTRODUCTION OF THE STREAMLINED AND IMPROVED METHODS AT POLLING
LOCATIONS AND EARLY VOTING ACT
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HON. STEVE COHEN
of tennessee
in the house of representatives
Thursday, January 3, 2019
Mr. COHEN. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of the Streamlined
and Improved Methods at Polling Locations and Early Voting Act, also
known as the ``SIMPLE'' Voting Act for short that I introduced today.
This is a scary time for voting rights. We are witnessing an assault
on voting rights the likes of which our nation has not seen since the
passage of the Voting Rights Act in 1965. The President has alleged
during the 2016 and 2018 election cycles, without evidence, that there
is widespread voter fraud in our country.
In the name of protecting Americans from supposed in-person voter
fraud--a fraud that is virtually non-existent--states have been
enacting voter ID laws. The real reason for these laws, however, has
been anything but election integrity. It has been about partisan
politics and discrimination.
But don't take my word for it. Take the words of legislators like the
then-Pennsylvania House Majority Leader who boasted in 2012 that the
state's newly enacted voter ID law would allow Mitt Romney to win his
state. While speaking about his legislature's accomplishments, he said,
``Voter ID, which is going to allow Governor Romney to win the state of
Pennsylvania: done.''
Or take the comments of a freshman Republican Wisconsin state
representative who, while being interviewed ahead of the 2016 election,
said, ``And now we have photo ID, and I think photo ID is going to make
a little bit of a difference as well.''
Or take the word of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit
which said that provisions of a voter ID law in North Carolina ``target
African Americans with almost surgical precision[.]'' According to the
court, the law imposed cures for problems that did not exist, and
``thus the asserted justifications cannot and do not conceal the
State's true motivation.''
The right to vote is the cornerstone of our democracy. It is sacred.
Yet, sadly, we have an ugly history in this nation of efforts to limit
people's ability to access this constitutional right.
We need to make it easier for people to vote, not harder, and that is
why I have introduced this bill today.
If enacted, the SIMPLE Voting Act would require states to allow early
voting for federal elections for at least two weeks prior to election
day, and to the greatest extent possible ensure that polling locations
are within walking distance of a stop on a public transportation route.
It would also require that sufficient voting systems, poll workers
and other election resources are provided, that wait times are fair and
equitable for all voters across a state, and that no one be required to
wait longer than one hour to cast a ballot at a polling place.
None of this should be controversial. This is all common sense, or at
least should be, to those who to want help more Americans to vote.
I urge my colleagues to pass this bill.
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