[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 140 (Thursday, August 6, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Page S5263]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE 19TH AMENDMENT

  Mr. SANDERS. Mr. President, I rise to celebrate the 100th anniversary 
of the passage of the 19th Amendment, providing suffrage for all sexes 
in the Constitution of the United States.
  The amendment states that the right to vote ``shall not be denied or 
abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.'' The 
suffrage Movement opened the doors to women's participation in the 
electoral process and contributed to equitable civic leadership and 
engagement.
  Today, I honor the historic milestone of the women's suffrage 
movement, and the contributions from my home state of Vermont, while 
acknowledging the barriers to voting that have harmed and continue to 
harm some of the most marginalized people in our country.
  Vermont's contributions to the suffrage movement ranged from 
participation on the local level to the national marches. Vermonters 
fought for women's legal civic participation in our schools, municipal 
offices, and our State legislature, along with the national right to 
vote. I am grateful to every Vermonter who fought a more equitable 
political system.
  Notable Vermont suffragists include Clarina Howard Nichols of 
Townshend, who fought for women's property rights. Annette Parmalee of 
Washington, one of the most outspoken suffragists in my State, who 
fought for suffrage locally, statewide and nationally. And Lucy Daniel 
of Grafton, who used civil disobedience to lend her weight to the 
fight. I am proud of every Vermonter's contribution to the movement and 
helping our country expand access to the ballot box.
  Suffragists were women of races, ages, and political backgrounds. Yet 
after the 19th Amendment, millions of women--particularly African-
Americans in the Jim Crow South--remained shut out of the polls for 
decades. Many States and municipalities continued to ignore the 15th 
and 19th Amendments, effectively withholding voting rights from women, 
Black people, and anyone who was low-income or ``uneducated''. The harm 
was most profound at the intersection of marginalized groups.
  I find the efforts to stop people from voting to be deeply 
unpatriotic--then and now. In our long history, the United States has 
made it harder for some individuals to be civically engaged because of 
their gender identity, their income, or race. We know that the literacy 
tests kept those shut out of the education system from the electoral 
process. We know that poll taxes kept poor people from casting a 
ballot. And we know that barriers to voting still exist today.
  We have seen people from majority Black districts wait in line for 
double the amount of time as their neighboring white districts. We have 
seen eligible voters turned away because of inaccurate voting roll 
purges. From gerrymandering, to archaic voter ID laws, to limiting 
voter registration, discriminatory efforts still exist that harm our 
democracy and deprive Americans of a government that represents them. 
In my view, voting should be a simple process. We should be passing 
laws to make it easier to vote, not harder.
  First and foremost, we must reinstate the Voting Rights Act. We need 
to make election day a national holiday so that more people are able to 
get to the polls without losing time or wages from work. We need to 
expand automatic voter registration, early voting and vote-by-mail 
capabilities. We need to address voter suppression head on. And we must 
overturn the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision and reform 
campaign finance laws to prevent large corporations and billionaires 
from having an outsized voice in the electoral process.
  Today in honor of the centennial of the 19th Amendment, I call on 
Americans to pursue equity with the same vigor as the suffragists. 
Question rules and laws that obstruct political participation. Speak 
out against injustices. And continue to fight for policies that center 
our Nation's political process on ``we the people.''

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