House Proceeding 05-13-08 on May 13th, 2008 :: 0:28:27 to 0:33:58
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Previous speech:

0:24:41 to 0:28:27( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Walter B. Jones

0:28:15 to 0:28:27( Edit History Discussion )

Walter B. Jones: listen to the american people. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his timbae. mr. defazio of oregon. for what purpose

0:28:27 to 0:28:48( Edit History Discussion )

Keith Ellison: does the gentleman from minnesota rise? >> to address the house for five minutes. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. ellison: madam speaker, it was on may 7, the day of the

0:28:27 to 0:33:58( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Keith Ellison

0:28:48 to 0:29:03( Edit History Discussion )

Keith Ellison: indiana primary electionio just last tuesday -- i believe it was may 5, may 5, mthat 12 nuns came to the voting booto h to cast their ballots ilon the elections. these women of the cloth,

0:29:03 to 0:29:15( Edit History Discussion )

Keith Ellison: women who have dedicated their lives to prayer, were barred from voting by indiana's photographic identification law. this law, which is the most stringent in the unirited states, the most stringent

0:29:15 to 0:29:30( Edit History Discussion )

Keith Ellison: of any state, requires that before you can cast a ballot, you must present a government-issued photographic identification card. 98-year-old nun, american citizen, devoted to her country

0:29:30 to 0:29:45( Edit History Discussion )

Keith Ellison: and faith, was denied along with 11 of her colleagues. i'm disappointed to tell you, madam speaker, that this problem didn't have to happen. only a few days before this indiana photographic i.d. law

0:29:45 to 0:29:58( Edit History Discussion )

Keith Ellison: was put in place, the united states supreme court reviewed this law and found that it was reasonable for indiana to force citizens to provide such identification. now, madam speaker, you might

0:29:58 to 0:30:17( Edit History Discussion )

Keith Ellison: say, well, isn't this designed to just stop voter fraud? the answer is no, madam speaker. in the united states supreme court decision, the justice that wrote the majority opinion admitted

0:30:17 to 0:30:35( Edit History Discussion )

Keith Ellison: and acknowledged that there was no evidence of voter imper sonation. in effect, this bill was a bill to solve a problem that simply did not exist at all. this bill was a mythical -- was confronting

0:30:35 to 0:30:48( Edit History Discussion )

Keith Ellison: a mythical voting fraud that worked only to stop 12 nuns and many others from voting. the bill -- the bill that requires the photographic i.d. clearly wol disenfranchise people. it

0:30:48 to 0:31:03( Edit History Discussion )

Keith Ellison: clearly would and did disenfranchise older americans who may not have an i.d. or maybe were born at home and maybe can't find a birth certificate, which they would need to get a photographic

0:31:03 to 0:31:21( Edit History Discussion )

Keith Ellison: i.d. it would clearly bar college students who maybe haven't gotten a driver's license dyet from voting. in effect, this bill prohibited people from voting who need a change in america.

0:31:21 to 0:31:35( Edit History Discussion )

Keith Ellison: it stopped seniors who are against the doughnut hole of the prescription drug, medicare part d that is hurting our seniors, it's barring their way to the ballot box. it's barring our students

0:31:35 to 0:31:50( Edit History Discussion )

Keith Ellison: as they struggle to confront mounting debt. it's barring the rights of our citizens who cry for human civil rights. and it is standing in the way of voters who need a fairer, more equal,

0:31:50 to 0:32:03( Edit History Discussion )

Keith Ellison: more just society. the fact is, madam speaker, i wish those people who pushed this law forward would have simply admitted that they don't want to debate the ideas, they just want to stop voters

0:32:03 to 0:32:19( Edit History Discussion )

Keith Ellison: from getting to the ballot box. they don't want to debate whether or not it makes sense to make rich people get richer. they don't want to debate that. they just want to stop people from being

0:32:19 to 0:32:34( Edit History Discussion )

Keith Ellison: able to cast their ballot. madam speaker, i commend the "new york times," which on may 13, submitted this editorial. the myth of voter fraud. and what this editorial shows it's not just indiana

0:32:34 to 0:32:44( Edit History Discussion )

Keith Ellison: but many other states that are requiring this absolutely unneeded, unneeded photographic i.d. requirement. states like missouri, kansas, florida, south carolina and others are considering these

0:32:44 to 0:33:00( Edit History Discussion )

Keith Ellison: bills. they must and should be stopped. they are not intended to stop fraud. in fact, if there's any fraud going on, madam speaker, it is people that are in the category that i mentioned, senior

0:33:00 to 0:33:15( Edit History Discussion )

Keith Ellison: citizens, low-income people, people of cor, students, those people are being defrauded because in almost every election we have seen, schemes and devices to bar them from the ballot box.

0:33:15 to 0:33:26( Edit History Discussion )

Keith Ellison: madam speaker, i ask you and all the members of this house to consider a bill that will preempt the supreme court's decision in the decision that upheld the indiana voter law. it's what we

0:33:26 to 0:33:40( Edit History Discussion )

Keith Ellison: need. it would improve the quality of democracy in our country. and as i close, madam speaker, i want to say our country is a great one, not because of ec bombs, guns and a huge economy,

0:33:40 to 0:33:58( Edit History Discussion )

Keith Ellison: but it's a great country because this country has been advancing liberty ever since its inception. in the beginning of this country, madam speaker, you and i know only white men of property would

0:33:58 to 0:34:09( Edit History Discussion )

Jeff Flake: be able to vote. but then we saw the jacksonian revolution and then black men could vote and 19th amendment, women could vote. te and then we saw the 24th amendment, which said no more poll