Chairs of Progressive, Hispanic, Black, and Asian & Pacific American Caucuses: "An Assault on Voting Rights is an Assault on our Constitution and Founding Principles"
September 18, 2012
WASHINGTON – In honor of the 225th anniversary of the signing of the Constitution, the Chairs of the “Quad-Caucus,” Reps Keith Ellison (D-MN) and Raúl M. Grijalva (D-AZ) of the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC), Charles Gonzalez (D-TX) of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), Emanuel Cleaver, II (D-MO) of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) and Judy Chu (D-CA) of the Congressional Asian and Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) released a joint statement condemning the threats posed by new restrictive voting laws being passed all over the country.
“Generations of Americans before us have fought and sacrificed to expand access to the ballot box. We cannot allow that right to be narrowed on our watch. An assault on the right to vote is an assault on our Constitution and our founding principles. The Constitution belongs to all of us. No person or party has a monopoly on our constitutional heritage. We encourage all Americans to take the time to reflect on and celebrate this milestone.”
While conservative lawmakers across the country are poised to limit ballot access in key states, our founding principles compel us to take every step possible towards protecting and expanding the vote. The Constitution’s six Voting Rights Amendments guaranteed African Americans, women, and eighteen-year-olds the right to vote, outlawed poll taxes in federal elections, allowed the citizens of our nation’s capital to vote for President, and gave ordinary Americans the right to elect their senators.
To read the Constitution and learn more about its history, visit www.theusconstitution.org.
