Speech #1050107295

The fundamental right to vote is the foundation on which our democracy is based. The right to vote was directly attributable to the American Revolution. enactment of the 15th amendment. womens suffrage and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. In the segregated South. poll taxes and literacy tests were used as weapons against the right to vote. Now. more than 120 years later. 28 years after enactment of the 15th amendment and 3 years after enactment of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. we are considering legislation that could once again inhibit the right to vote. H.R. 1428 would give wide discretion to State and local officials to deny legalized citizens. presumed to be illegal immigrants. the right to register to vote. This is a bad piece of legislation.