Calling on Congress to condemn voter suppression laws enacted by States and political subdivisions.

IV 116TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. RES. 710 Calling on Congress to condemn voter suppression laws enacted by States and political subdivisions. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES NOVEMBER 18, 2019 Ms. NORTON submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary RESOLUTION Calling on Congress to condemn voter suppression laws enacted by States and political subdivisions. Whereas the ratification of the 15th Amendment in 1870 af- firms that voting rights cannot be denied to citizens on the basis of race; Whereas post-Reconstruction Jim Crow laws severely re- stricted minority voting rights, particularly those of Afri- can Americans; Whereas the Voting Rights Act of 1965 contributed to a sig- nificant increase in voter registration and participation by African Americans and other minorities; Whereas the Supreme Court’s 2013 decision in Shelby Coun- ty v. Holder struck down section 4(b) of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the coverage provision of the law VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:30 Nov 19, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR710.IH HR710 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 2 •HRES 710 IH that identified States and political subdivisions with a chronic history of passing restrictive voting laws; Whereas the Shelby County decision effectively immobilized section 5 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which allowed the Department of Justice and Federal courts to ‘‘preclear’’ any proposed changes to voting rules, allowing a preemptive strike of unjust and discriminatory voting laws in the regions identified by section 4(b); Whereas the absence of this preclearance requirement has al- lowed for voter suppression laws to proliferate by permit- ting States and political subdivisions to pass restrictive voting laws without Federal preclearance to determine if the laws are racially discriminatory; Whereas following the Shelby County decision, at least 14 States had voting restrictions in place for the first time in a Presidential election in time for the 2016 contest; Whereas approximately 11 percent of American citizens lack government-issued photo identification, and a dispropor- tionate number are low-income, elderly, or people of color; Whereas African Americans are as much as 305 percent and Latinos are as much as 195 percent more likely than Whites to lack acceptable identification required to vote; Whereas since the Shelby County decision, at least 4 States have reduced early voting access; Whereas restricting early voting disproportionately affects people of color, low-income citizens, and the elderly, who often rely on flexible, early voting periods; Whereas many voting-eligible, low-income Latino voters are naturalized United States citizens who lack proof of citi- zenship and cannot afford a Certificate of Citizenship or VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:30 Nov 19, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR710.IH HR710 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 3 •HRES 710 IH a Replacement Certificate of Naturalization, which cost $1,170 and $555, respectively; Whereas since the Shelby County decision, at least 2 States have imposed more stringent requirements on nongovern- mental organizations that help register and engage citi- zens in voter participation; Whereas restricting nongovernmental voter participation or- ganizations directly affects people of color, low-income citizens, and the elderly, as these organizations are par- ticularly likely to reach and engage these populations; Whereas since the Shelby County decision, at least 5 States have passed laws making it more difficult to vote by ab- sentee ballot; Whereas reducing absentee voting disproportionately affects low-income, minority voters, who are more likely than other citizens to have inflexible work- and childcare-re- lated schedules; Whereas in addition to State-level voter suppression laws, po- litical subdivisions have also passed new laws that sup- press minority voters, including reducing the number of polling places and offering insufficient language assist- ance for non-English-speaking voters; Whereas following the Shelby County decision, there were at least 868 fewer polling places in the 2016 election than in past elections; Whereas insufficient language assistance at polling places could possibly threaten eligible Latino voter turnout in the 2020 Presidential election; Whereas since the Shelby County decision, courts have struck down restrictive voting laws in at least 4 States, dem- VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:30 Nov 19, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR710.IH HR710 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 4 •HRES 710 IH onstrating the discriminatory nature of voting restrictions that have proliferated post-Shelby County; Whereas had a preclearance formula been in effect, the De- partment of Justice and Federal courts would have been able to prevent discriminatory voter suppression laws from being passed; Whereas the Committee on the Judiciary of the House of Representatives has favorably reported the Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2019 (H.R. 4), to update and re- store the Voting Rights Act of 1965; and Whereas many unjust voter laws that were passed or went into effect after the Shelby County decision threaten to affect a significant number of minority voters in upcom- ing elections: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives con- 1 demns the use by States and political subdivisions of the 2 voter suppression laws and techniques described in the 3 preamble of this resolution. 4 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:30 Nov 19, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\HR710.IH HR710 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS