,,iii #aafth ,,congress #ast ,session ,s4 ,,res4 #cji ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,september #ab1 #bjai ,mr4 ,wyden 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,bennet1 ,mr4 ,blumenthal1 ,mr4 ,booker1 ,mr4 ,brown1 ,ms4 ,cantwell1 ,mr4 ,cardin1 ,mr4 ,coons1 ,ms4 ,duckworth1 ,mr4 ,durbin1 ,ms4 ,harris1 ,ms4 ,hirono1 ,mr4 ,jones1 ,mr4 ,kaine1 ,mr4 ,markey1 ,mr4 ,menendez1 ,mr4 ,merkley1 ,mrs4 ,murray1 ,mr4 ,sanders1 ,ms4 ,smith1 ,mr4 ,udall1 and ,mr4 ,van ,hollen7 submitted the following resolution2 which was referred to the ,committee on the ,judiciary ,,resolution ,designating ,september #bjai as ,national ,voting ,rights ,month4 ,whereas voting is one of the single most important rights that can be exercised in a democracy2 ,whereas1 over the course of history1 various voter suppression laws in the ,united ,states have hindered1 and even prohibited1 certain individuals and groups from exercising the right to vote2 ,whereas1 during the #aith and early #bjth centuries1 ,native ,americans and people who were born to ,united ,states citizens abroad1 people who spoke a language other than ,english1 and people who were formerly subjected to slavery were denied full citizenship and prevented from voting by ,english literacy tests2 ,whereas1 since the #ahgjs1 minority groups such as ,african ,americans in the ,south have suffered from the oppressive effects of ,jim ,crow laws designed to prevent political1 economic1 and social mobility2 ,whereas ,african ,americans1 ,latinos1 ,asian ,americans1 ,native ,americans1 and other underrepresented voters were subject to violence1 poll taxes1 literacy tests1 all-,white primaries1 property ownership tests1 and grandfather clauses2 ,whereas members of the aforementioned groups and others are currently1 in some cases1 subject to intimidation1 voter roll purges1 bans on former prisoners from voting1 and financial barriers that act effectively as modern day poll taxes2 ,whereas1 in #aife1 ,congress passed the ,voting ,rights ,act of #aife 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #ajcja et seq47 to protect the right of ,african ,americans and other traditionally disenfranchised groups to vote1 among other reasons2 ,whereas1 in #bjac1 the ,supreme ,court of the ,united ,states invalidated section #d of the ,voting ,rights ,act of #aife1 dismantling the preclearance formula provision in that ,act that protected voters in ,states and localities that historically have suppressed the right of minorities to vote2 ,whereas1 since the invalidation of the preclearance formula provision of the ,voting ,rights ,act of #aife1 gerrymandered districts in many ,states have gone unchallenged or have become less likely to be invalidated by the courts2 ,whereas these gerrymandered districts have been found to have a discriminatory impact on traditionally disenfranchised minorities through tactics that include cracking1 diluting the voting power of minorities across many districts1 and packing1 concentrating minority voters' power in one district to reduce their voting power in other districts2 ,whereas the courts have found the congressional and1 in some cases1 ,state legislative district maps1 in ,texas1 ,north ,carolina1 ,florida1 ,pennsylvania1 ,ohio1 and ,wisconsin to be gerrymandered districts that were created to favor some groups over others2 ,whereas the decision of the ,supreme ,court in ,shelby ,county v4 ,holder1 #egj ,u4,s4 #ebi 7#bjac71 calls on ,congress to update the formula in the ,voting ,rights ,act of #aife2 ,whereas some form of a restrictive voting law has been instituted in #bb ,states since #bjac2 ,whereas these restrictive voting laws encompass cutbacks in early voting1 voter roll purges1 placement of faulty equipment in minority communities1 requirement of photo identification--the procurement of which amounts to a modern day poll tax1 and the elimination of same-day registration2 ,whereas these changes could outright disenfranchise or make voting much more difficult for more than #hj1jjj1jjj minority1 elderly1 poor1 and disabled voters1 among other groups2 ,whereas1 in #bjaf1 discriminatory laws in ,north ,carolina1 ,wisconsin1 ,north ,dakota1 and ,texas were ruled to violate voters' rights and overturned by the courts2 ,whereas there is much more work to be done to ensure all citizens of the ,united ,states have the right to vote2 ,whereas ,national ,voter ,registration ,day is ,september #be2 and ,whereas ,september #bjai would be an appropriate month to designate as ,national ,voting ,rights ,month3 ,now1 therefore1 be it ,that the ,senate-- 7#a7 designates ,september #bjai as ,national ,voting ,rights ,month2 7#b7 encourages all people in the ,united ,states to uphold the right of every citizen to exercise the sacred and fundamental right to vote2 7#c7 encourages ,congress to pass-- 7,a7 the ,for the ,people ,act of #bjai 7,s4 #idi and ,h4,r4 #a of the #aafth ,congress71 to increase voters' access to the ballot1 prohibit the use of deceptive practices to intimidate voters1 end gerrymandering1 create automatic voter registration1 limit the power of restrictive voter identification laws1 make critical investments in election infrastructure and technology1 and address corruption in campaign finance and ethics2 7,b7 the ,voting ,rights ,advancement ,act of #bjai 7,s4 #efa and ,h4,r4 #d of the #aafth ,congress71 to restore the protections of the ,voting ,rights ,act of #aife 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #ajcja et seq47 that prohibit discriminatory voting practices1 remove barriers to voting1 and provide protections for minority voters in ,states with a history of voting discrimination2 7,c7 the ,securing ,america's ,federal ,elections ,act1 or the ,,safe ,act 7,s4 #bbch and ,h4,r4 #bgbb of the #aafth ,congress71 to provide funding for ,states to improve the administration of elections1 including by enhancing technology and election security1 replacing antiquated voting systems1 and meeting new standards for administering elections2 and 7,d7 other voting rights legislation that seeks to advance voting rights and protect elections in the ,united ,states2 7#d7 recommends that public schools and universities in the ,united ,states develop an academic curriculum that educates students about-- 7,a7 the importance of voting1 how to register to vote1 where to vote1 and the different forms of voting2 7,b7 the history of voter suppression in the ,united ,states before the passage of the ,voting ,rights ,act of #aife2 7,c7 current issues relating to laws passed after #aife that restrict the right to vote2 and 7,d7 any actions taken by ,state and ,federal ,government officials since passage of the ,voting ,rights ,act of #aife that have created barriers to the exercise of the right to vote2 7#e7 encourages the ,united ,states ,postal ,service to issue a special ,fannie ,lou ,hamer stamp during the month of ,september to remind people in the ,united ,states that ordinary citizens risked their lives1 marched1 and participated in the great democracy of the ,united ,states so that all citizens would have the fundamental right to vote2 and 7#f7 invites ,congress to allocate the requisite funds for public service announcements on television1 radio1 newspapers1 magazines1 social media1 billboards1 buses1 and other forms of media to remind people in the ,united ,states when elections are being held and to urge people to get out and vote4