VOTING RIGHTS MUST BE PROTECTED

On 2026-05-21, Representative Madeleine Dean (D-PA-4) delivered a floor speech titled "VOTING RIGHTS MUST BE PROTECTED" in the House.

VOTING RIGHTS MUST BE PROTECTED

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 87 (Thursday, May 21, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 87 (Thursday, May 21, 2026)] [House] [Page H3713] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] VOTING RIGHTS MUST BE PROTECTED (Ms. DEAN of Pennsylvania asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.) Ms. DEAN of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, Tuesday was primary day in Pennsylvania. It was a safe, successful election where thousands of voters made their voices and their vote known. Yet, it was a dark reminder that voting rights across the country are under attack. On April 29, the Supreme Court of the United States gutted the Voting Rights Act, opening the door to coordinated attacks on Black voters, particularly in the South. Emboldened by the Court, Republican Governors and legislatures immediately moved to redraw congressional maps in their favor by dismantling majority-Black districts. Not since Jim Crow have we witnessed such a blatant and disgusting effort to disenfranchise Black voters. I had the privilege, many of us had the privilege of serving alongside the Honorable John Robert Lewis. In times like these, I am reminded of his words. He would say: ``When you see something that is not right, that is not fair, not just, you have to speak up. You have to say something; you have to do something.'' Voting is our sacred right. It is the lifeblood of our democracy. Every one of us must protect it. We must do something before it is too late. ____________________