Crapo Lauds Voting Rights Act

Washington, DC â?? Idaho Senator Mike Crapo today lauded the extension of federal law assuring the right of all Americans to vote freely in elections. President Bush signed the Fannie Lou Hamer, Rosa Parks and Coretta Scott King Voting Rights Act (VRA) this morning during a ceremony at the White House. The legislation was approved last week unanimously by the Senate. However, a long-standing follow-up medical appointment with an oncology specialist in Baltimore caused Crapo to miss the Senate vote. Crapo submitted a statement to the Congressional Record signifying his support of the VRA. â??During a recent visit to the Minidoka Internment National Monument in Idaho, I saw yet again that we must be ever vigilant about preventing human rights violations,â?? Crapo said. â??Our nation has made great strides toward putting civil rights and human rights challenges behind us, but the personal freedoms of Americans lie at the core of what we in Congress are sent here to Washington to protect. I applaud the signing of todayâ??s extension of voting rights protections and encourage all Americans to get deeply involved in the process of democracy, beginning with exercising their right to vote.â??The Voting Rights Act prohibits the use of tests or devices to deny persons the right to vote and requires governments to provide voting materials in multiple languages. It also sets standards for election observers and outlaws voting qualifications which could diminish the ability of eligible voters to participate in the voting process.# # #