Fighting Voter Suppression

Floor Speech

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Ms. SEWELL. Mr. Speaker, I rise to join my CBC colleagues in getting into some good trouble as we voice our very strong opposition to the Republicans' voter suppression bill, the so-called SAVE Act.

As a daughter of Selma and the Representative of Alabama's civil rights district, the fight for voting rights is very personal to me. It was in Selma 60 years ago where John Lewis and hundreds of foot soldiers were bludgeoned on the Edmund Pettus Bridge for the equal right of every American to vote. The legislation before us makes a mockery of that legacy.

Since his defeat in the 2020 election, President Donald Trump and his Republican allies have pushed the big lie of a stolen election. The majority has tried to convince the American people of the lie that noncitizens are a threat to our elections and are using that lie as an excuse to pass a new law, such as the SAVE Act, which would make it harder for millions of Americans to cast their ballots.

Mr. Speaker, the facts are clear: It is already illegal for noncitizens to vote in Federal elections, or in any elections. In fact, under current law, noncitizens would face up to 5 years in prison for attempting to vote in Federal elections and would even risk being deported.

In reality, this legislation would purge thousands of eligible voters from the rolls. It would create significant barriers for the 69 million women who currently are married and changed their last names so that their birth certificates do not match their marriage certificates. Thus, it would be harder for these almost 70 million women to vote.

The 140 million Americans who do not have a passport and those with military IDs and Tribal IDs, none of which would be able to prove their birth citizenship, are not included in the bill as proper forms of ID that will allow someone to show their citizenship.

Americans should see this bill for what it is: a cynical attempt to flame the fire of false voter fraud by the same extremist who brought us the January 6 insurrection.

Their objective of suppressing the vote was made even more clear last week, Mr. Speaker, when President Trump signed an executive order to erode voting rights and gave Elon Musk, an unelected, unconfirmed person, the right to access Americans' personal voter information.

Mr. Speaker, as elected officials in this House, we should be fighting to protect and expand access to the ballot box, not restrict it. As old battles have become new again, we in the Congressional Black Caucus have remained committed to ensuring and defending the sacred right to vote. This right to vote was won with blood, sweat, tears, and even deaths. We in the Congressional Black Caucus see voting rights as our North Star.

Mr. Speaker, we will not stop fighting as long as President Trump and Elon Musk and House Republicans are trying to take away our sacred right to vote.

I urge all of my colleagues to not only vote ``no'' on the SAVE Act, but to do so with vigor and with purpose.

It was John Lewis who said that ours is not the struggle of 1 day, 1 week, 1 year. Ours is a struggle of a lifetime. As long as the Congressional Black Caucus, 63 Members strong, is in this Congress, we will stand up and protect the right of every American to vote, and we will stop efforts like the SAVE Act.

The SAVE Act is not there to save election integrity. The SAVE Act is all about saving Republican seats and Republican elected officials. We will be voting ``no'' on that bill when it comes to the floor, and we urge our other colleagues to do the same.

Mr. Speaker, I commend the gentlewoman from Virginia (Ms. McClellan) for leading this Special Order hour. We in the Congressional Black Caucus stand on the shoulders of giants. It is now time for us to get off of their shoulders and to do our own work, and our own work, we will do in defeating the SAVE Act and for standing up for the legacy of John Lewis and those foot soldiers who marched on a bridge in my hometown for the equal right of every American to vote. As long as we have a voice, the CBC will be standing up for voting rights.

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