Since I have been in the Congress I have always supported voting rights legislation and find this new bill even more meaningful than past ones because it includes Spanishspeaking minorities as well as racial minorities. Many Americans may have forgotten the abuses and injustices which made this legislation necessary in the first place. It was the result of long years of withholding or abusing voting rights for a large segment of the population of some States through various devices such as the literacy test. These devices have been used to thwart the constitutional rights of blacks and Spanishspeaking minorities as well and we must extend this legislation to prevent a return to past abuses and to preclude future attempts to disenfranchise Americans from exercising their right to vote. All of us regardless of race. color. creed. or national origin have this right and must continue to exercise it if our democratic heritage is to be maintained and if our system of Government is to continue to be a viable one.
Keywords matched
literacy test