ABQ Times

WASHINGTON—On June 7, U.S. Representative Melanie Stansbury (N.M.-01) sounded the alarm on attempts by the House Republican majority to elevate voter suppression laws and interfere with Washington, D.C.’s election administration during a joint hearing between the House Committees on Oversight and Accountability and Administration. During her remarks, Rep. Stansbury also lifted up New Mexico’s leadership as the first state to pass the Native American Voting Rights Act.

VIDEO LINK: Watch the footage here.

Last Congress, Rep. Stansbury cosponsored the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, the Protecting Our Democracy Act, and helped pass the Freedom To Vote Act. Her actions responded to the wave of voter suppression laws after the 2020 presidential election as state legislatures introduced 400 anti-voter laws in 2021.

“It should be no surprise that the party of the Big Lie on January 6 is hauling our capital city in front of this body to undermine a population that is already disenfranchised,” said Rep. Stansbury.

“In spite of these systematic efforts to undermine voting rights across the United States, there are shining lights,” Rep. Stansbury continued. “In fact, in my home state in New Mexico, we just passed a voting rights legislation to protect and expand voting rights in our Tribal communities, to expand opportunities for our communities to access the ballot box.”

Rep. Stansbury’s full remarks as delivered are below.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I want to thank all of our witnesses for being here today.

And I want to just take this opportunity to say that there's one thing that I agree about on this committee hearing this morning, which is that there is an unprecedented attack on our democracy and elections happening across the nation right now. But it's not as our friends across the aisle would have us believe in this hearing this morning.

In fact, the greatest threat to our democracy right now is this systematic erosion of voting rights across the United States. In fact, in 2021, more than 400 anti-voter measures were put forward by state legislatures, and by this body by the current majority in this body that would put into place discriminatory voter ID laws, restrictions on polling locations that could lead to hours-long waits, the elimination of early voting bans on mail-in voting, and gerrymandering.

These efforts not only undermine our democracy, they are a systematic attack on the voting rights of poor people and people of color and communities across this country.

So it shouldn't be of any surprise to us, that the only jurisdiction — local jurisdiction that this body has any purview over that the majority would haul our capital city in front of us to talk about your amazing and progressive voting rights legislation, which is actually protected the people of DC and their voting rights. I'm shocked, I'm disgusted.

The bill that's been talked about this morning, would continue that systematic erosion at the federal level and contribute to the disenfranchisement not only of the people in this city, but in communities across the country that have historically been disenfranchised, generation after generation.

We have seen this undermining of voting rights in the Supreme Court with the gutting of the Voting Rights Act, and the failure across our Capitol in the Senate, for the Senate to act to protect voting rights.

Luckily, here in the House, we have a strong group of Democrats who have been fighting to protect the voting rights of the people of this country, and to carry forth the vision of Dr. Martin Luther King, and of course, the great John Lewis and the rights that they voted for that they marched for across our communities.

But in spite of these systematic efforts to undermine voting rights across the United States, there are shining lights. In fact, in my home state in New Mexico, we just passed a voting rights legislation to protect and expand voting rights in our Tribal communities, to expand opportunities for our communities to access the ballot box.

And one of those shining lights is actually the capital city, Washington, DC, which has some of the most important and progressive voting rights laws on the books. And I want to thank Ms. Evans for your work and the work of your folks who are making sure that the people of DC have access to the voting to the ballot box here in this city.

But I think it's important. I know, we've heard a lot this morning about the impacts that these voting rights restrictions have had on communities across the country.

But it's also important to talk about the things that we can do at the local level, whether that's in Washington, DC, in states or Tribal communities like mine.

Rep. Stansbury: And so, Ms. Weiser, I know you've talked about this in your testimony, but I was struck in particular by some of the the notes that you provided about important things that we can do to shore up our voting rights system. So, could you talk to us a little bit about the recommendations that you have for protecting voter rights?

Ms. Weiser: Thank you very much for the question. I will start by saying most of the recommendations that we have for shoring up voting rights are actually have been passed by this body in the Freedom to Vote John R. Lewis Act. They include policies to modernize voter registration make it secure and accessible for everyone automatic voter registration, online registration, same-day registration. They include ensuring baseline national standards so that everyone can access early voting, and it has opportunities also to engage in mail voting. It includes the restoration of voting rights for citizens who are formerly incarcerated to give them a second chance when they return to their community. That includes protections for election officials. It includes safeguards against interference in our elections. So these are critical threats, and Congress can actually put in place common sense measures to both expand access to voting while ensuring election integrity. And if I make—can I just correct one misstatement I said before I was asked about the voting rights of individuals, citizens and the territories and they can vote in presidential primaries, but not in the general election. And that's actually Not only a violation of policy, but I believe a constitutional problem.

Rep. Stansbury: Thank you. And I'll just conclude by saying that it should be no surprise that the party of the Big Lie in January 6 is hauling our capital city in front of this body to undermine a population that is already disenfranchised.

Original source can be found here.