Voter Suppression

Floor Speech

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, ladies and gentlemen, nothing is more fundamental in our democracy than the right to vote. Unfortunately, our right to vote is under attack.

According to a new report by the Brennan Center for Justice, voter suppression laws in States across the country could affect up to 5 million voters from traditionally Democratic demographics in 2012. It's no coincidence that this number is larger than the margin of victory in two of the last three Presidential elections.

These voter ID laws do nothing more than discourage and block eligible voters, especially students, the poor, seniors, and minorities. These are Americans who tend to vote for Democrats.

Recently, the media reported that a 96-year-old woman was denied a voter ID card in Chattanooga, Tennessee, because of one of these new laws. Her name is Dorothy Cooper, and she is a retired domestic worker. In fact, she was born in my home State of Georgia, and she relocated to Chattanooga so that she could find work. She could not get all the documents together, and so, therefore, her request for a government-issued ID was denied.

After Indiana's photo ID law was implemented, the media reported about a group of elderly nuns who lacked driver's licenses and current passports, and they were turned away from the polls. Unfortunately, if States continue to pass these restrictive and unnecessary voter ID laws, we will hear more of these stories.

The Tea Party Republicans are trying to hijack our right to vote so that they can steal the 2012 election. I don't know about you, but I'm disgusted with Tea Party Republican attempts to use voter suppression laws to erode traditionally Democratic voters by blocking their access to the polls.

These voter ID laws do not prevent fraud. In fact, they do nothing other than suppress voter turnout. America has not seen this level of suppression since the days of poll taxes and literacy tests.

More than 30 States introduced legislation this year designed to impede voters at every step of the voting process. These laws do not combat fraud but prevent millions of hardworking, taxpaying Americans, especially minorities, young voters, the working poor, people with disabilities, and senior citizens from casting ballots in 2012 and beyond, making this the most significant setback to voting rights in a century.

Photo ID restrictions disenfranchise eligible registered voters. An estimated 11 percent of U.S. citizens--21 million people--do not have current, government-issued photo ID's. While poll taxes were abolished more than 60 years ago, this new slew of voter ID laws is reminiscent of the days when poll taxes were required, days which none of us want to revisit.

These Tea Party Republicans have been scheming from day one of President Obama's term in office to make sure that he's a one-term President. They want to take ``their'' country back. So State legislators, in accordance with this scheme, have passed a spate of laws specifically designed to block access to the ballot box by voters who tend to vote for Democrats. It's not fair, it's not right, and it's simply un-American.

Ladies and gentlemen, now is the time for all good men and women to come to the aid of their country.

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