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[Page S5263]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE 19TH AMENDMENT
Mr. SANDERS. Mr. President, I rise to celebrate the 100th anniversary
of the passage of the 19th Amendment, providing suffrage for all sexes
in the Constitution of the United States.
The amendment states that the right to vote ``shall not be denied or
abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.'' The
suffrage Movement opened the doors to women's participation in the
electoral process and contributed to equitable civic leadership and
engagement.
Today, I honor the historic milestone of the women's suffrage
movement, and the contributions from my home state of Vermont, while
acknowledging the barriers to voting that have harmed and continue to
harm some of the most marginalized people in our country.
Vermont's contributions to the suffrage movement ranged from
participation on the local level to the national marches. Vermonters
fought for women's legal civic participation in our schools, municipal
offices, and our State legislature, along with the national right to
vote. I am grateful to every Vermonter who fought a more equitable
political system.
Notable Vermont suffragists include Clarina Howard Nichols of
Townshend, who fought for women's property rights. Annette Parmalee of
Washington, one of the most outspoken suffragists in my State, who
fought for suffrage locally, statewide and nationally. And Lucy Daniel
of Grafton, who used civil disobedience to lend her weight to the
fight. I am proud of every Vermonter's contribution to the movement and
helping our country expand access to the ballot box.
Suffragists were women of races, ages, and political backgrounds. Yet
after the 19th Amendment, millions of women--particularly African-
Americans in the Jim Crow South--remained shut out of the polls for
decades. Many States and municipalities continued to ignore the 15th
and 19th Amendments, effectively withholding voting rights from women,
Black people, and anyone who was low-income or ``uneducated''. The harm
was most profound at the intersection of marginalized groups.
I find the efforts to stop people from voting to be deeply
unpatriotic--then and now. In our long history, the United States has
made it harder for some individuals to be civically engaged because of
their gender identity, their income, or race. We know that the literacy
tests kept those shut out of the education system from the electoral
process. We know that poll taxes kept poor people from casting a
ballot. And we know that barriers to voting still exist today.
We have seen people from majority Black districts wait in line for
double the amount of time as their neighboring white districts. We have
seen eligible voters turned away because of inaccurate voting roll
purges. From gerrymandering, to archaic voter ID laws, to limiting
voter registration, discriminatory efforts still exist that harm our
democracy and deprive Americans of a government that represents them.
In my view, voting should be a simple process. We should be passing
laws to make it easier to vote, not harder.
First and foremost, we must reinstate the Voting Rights Act. We need
to make election day a national holiday so that more people are able to
get to the polls without losing time or wages from work. We need to
expand automatic voter registration, early voting and vote-by-mail
capabilities. We need to address voter suppression head on. And we must
overturn the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision and reform
campaign finance laws to prevent large corporations and billionaires
from having an outsized voice in the electoral process.
Today in honor of the centennial of the 19th Amendment, I call on
Americans to pursue equity with the same vigor as the suffragists.
Question rules and laws that obstruct political participation. Speak
out against injustices. And continue to fight for policies that center
our Nation's political process on ``we the people.''
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