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Representative Houlahan Advances Major Voting Rights Bill

Washington, December 6, 2019

WASHINGTON – Today, Representative Chrissy Houlahan voted to pass H.R. 4, the Voting Rights Advancement Act. This legislation restores the full strength of the Voting Rights Act after a 2013 Supreme Court decision effectively nullified the Act, inviting countless episodes of voter suppression across the country. The bill passed the House 228-187.

“Our democracy doesn’t work unless the right to vote for every eligible American is protected,” said Houlahan. “The Constitution is clear – Congress is ultimately responsible for protecting that sacred right to have our voices, all our voices, heard at the ballot box. I am proud of our vote today; it sends a signal to every voter in PA and beyond that we are committed to a country in which everyone has a say.”

This bill will:

  • Establish “practice-based preclearance,” which would focus administrative or judicial review narrowly on suspect practices that are most likely to be tainted by discriminatory intent or to have discriminatory effects, as demonstrated by a broad historical record.  Under the bill, this process of reviewing changes in voting is limited to a set of specific practices, including such things as:
  • Allow a federal court to order states or jurisdictions to be covered for results-based violations, where the effect of a particular voting measure is racial discrimination in voting and denying citizens their right to vote.
  • Increase transparency by requiring reasonable public notice for voting changes.
  • Allow the U.S. Attorney General the authority to request the presence of federal observers anywhere in the country where there is a serious threat of racial discrimination in voting.

Houlahan is an Air Force veteran, an engineer, a serial entrepreneur, an educator, and a nonprofit leader. She’s in her first term representing Pennsylvania’s 6th Congressional District, which encompasses Chester County and southern Berks County. She serves on the House Armed Services Committee, the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and the House Small Business Committee.

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