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“DISPLACED VOTERS IN NEW ORLEANS” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Justice was published in the House of Representatives section on pages H1628 on April 6, 2006.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
DISPLACED VOTERS IN NEW ORLEANS
(Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute.)
Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, today the Attorney General appeared in the hearing of the Judiciary Committee for an oversight hearing, and we raised the question again about the protection of those displaced voters in New Orleans who have now the responsibility of casting their vote for a local election.
Ordinarily, Mr. Speaker, we would ask the involvement of the Federal Government, but the Voting Rights Act, section 2 in particular, guarantees protection of certain States and persons of the right to vote. Therefore, we cannot understand why the Justice Department precleared a system that will not work.
Today I have introduced with 42 cosponsors legislation to express the sense of Congress that the State of Louisiana and the Department of Justice must create outside satellite voting for the more than hundreds of thousands of displaced, disheartened Louisianans who have no way of going back to their home State at this time to be able to cast their vote for their city. They are, in essence, trying to come home. But with the little resources they have, today they cannot head home to cast a vote.
I hope the Attorney General and the State of Louisiana understand the Voting Rights Act and create outside satellite voting so that we can have the constitutional right to vote.
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