Following Sen. Bill Nelson’s lead, House Democrats from Florida have sent a letter to House leaders requesting hearings on the impact of new state voting laws on voter rights.
The St. Petersburg Times reports that Reps. Alcee Hastings, Corrine Brown, Ted Deutch, Frederica Wilson and Kathy Castor “are seeking a House investigation into new voting laws they contend were designed to make it harder for some people (Democrats) to vote.”
They are joining a list of almost 40 U.S. Representatives who signed the letter (.pdf).
The letter reads:
Congress has the Constitutional authority to act to protect the rights of all voters. In the face of voter suppression laws being enacted across the nation, Congress must determine the extent of the problem and provide appropriate remedies. Despite years of progress, inequities and obstacles still remain. We must work together to strengthen our nation’s democracy and ensure that the voting rights of all Americans are protected. Again, we respectfully request that Committees hold a hearing to address this extremely important matter.
Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., recently requested that the Senate conduct its own hearings. Nelson sent a letter to Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., requesting that he consider “conducting investigative field hearings” to see if the new voting laws were “an orchestrated effort to disenfranchise voters” in a manner that is possibly illegal.
