A chief priority has been working to protect the rights of all Americans to live and work and vote free from discrimination.

Protecting the Right to Vote

I am proud to have worked so closely on the reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act. The evidence shows that voting discrimination in America is not dead, and the Voting Rights Act was needed to assure that democracy prevails in every hill and valley, every city and suburb, on every fertile farm and every desert plain in America. This is why Congress worked in a truly bipartisan way to reauthorize the Act. The right to vote is so precious and almost sacred, that there is nothing more important that I can do in Congress than protect the right to vote. It is clear that we have come a great distance, but we still have a great distance to go before we can lay down the burden of voting discrimination in America.

Making Sure That Every Vote Counts and Preventing Voter Intimidation

I support legislation that would require a voter-verifiable paper trail on all electronic voting machines, so that people are sure that their vote really counts.  If a problem is uncovered or if there is a challenge to an election, there will be a way to ensure that votes were cast properly and that results are not a technological trick or malfunction.

I know you shared my outrage in 2006 when voters in minority communities were intentionally misled about voting dates and some naturalized citizens were threatened with arrest if they turned out to vote. The House of Representatives passed legislation that strengthens voter protection and prevents intimidation at the polling place. Every voter should feel free to exercise their constitutional right to vote with out fear of intimidation. The Deceptive Practices and Voter Intimidation Prevention Act would protect every American citizen's right to vote by making voter deception a federal crime.