Statement Of Sen. Patrick Leahy,
Ranking Member, Judiciary Committee,
On President Bush’s Signing
Of The Reauthorization Of The Voting Rights Act
The White House
  July 27, 2006

We celebrate the bipartisan reauthorization and revitalization of the Voting Rights Act with President Bush’s signing of this bill into law.  The Voting Rights Act is one of the most important laws Congress has ever passed.  I am proud to say that our democracy and our nation have been better and richer for it.
 
The Voting Rights Act is the keystone in the foundation of civil rights laws and one of the most important methods of protecting all Americans' foundational right to vote.  Several generations have kept the chain of bipartisan support for the Voting Rights Act unbroken, and now our generation has done its part to continue that legacy.   

Keeping the Voting Rights Act intact is important, but enforcing it is equally important.  Now that Congress has passed this bill -- and the President has signed it -- it is up to the President to ensure that this law and all of its provisions are enforced fully and faithfully.  I was pleased to hear the President commit today to aggressively enforce the provisions of this law and to defend it in court.  Article One of the Constitution says the Congress shall write the laws, and Article Two says the President shall enforce them.  Congress has done its part, and now the President must do his.  I commend him for saying that he will.  That is the most important thing the President said today.

The enactment of this law is a triumph for all Americans and a testament to our bipartisan efforts in the House and Senate.  On several occasions there were attempts by some to derail this bill.  In the end though, the opposition was overwhelmed by the widespread support for revitalization of this historic civil rights law.  

We held numerous hearings in the Senate and the House, and based on that record we know that effective enforcement of these provisions is vital in stamping out discrimination that, unfortunately, still exists in our nation today. 

The Voting Rights Act transformed the landscape of political inclusion.  As people are able to register, vote, and elect candidates of their choice, their interests get attention and their constitutional rights are protected.  Prior to the Act, minorities of all races faced major barriers to participation in the political process, through the use of such devices as poll taxes, exclusionary primaries, intimidation by voting officials, language barriers and systematic vote dilution.

We have made significant progress toward a more inclusive democracy, but the obstacles to full enjoyment of the franchise have changed over time.  Fortunately, instances of blatant denials of the right to vote are far less common, but the abridgment of the right to vote is still a major problem is some parts of the country. 

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