Today, Congresswoman Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.), issued the following statement on the 47th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act, signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson on August 6, 1965:
"Today, we commemorate the 47th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act, a historic milestone in the Civil Rights Movement. So many people died so that we could have the right to vote. I never thought that in my lifetime we would have to fight again for our Constitutional right to vote.
"There has never been any evidence of mass voter fraud in Florida. The changes to Florida's voting laws are a cynical voter suppression effort targeted at people who tend to support Democrats – college students, minorities and seniors. Shrinking the early voting window and purging voters from the rolls are the Florida Republicans' latest attempt to disenfranchise voters for their own political gain.
"Don't let anyone stop you from exercising your Constitutional right to vote. The best way to guarantee that your vote counts is to get an absentee ballot. To contact the Miami-Dade Elections Department, call (305) 499-8444 or visit https://www.miamidade.gov/elections/vote_absentee.asp. For the Broward County Supervisor of Elections, call (954) 357-7050 or visit https://www.browardsoe.org/content.aspx?id=30."
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Background
On May 29, 2012, Florida's Democratic U.S. Representatives wrote a letter to Governor Scott urging him to suspend immediately his unscrupulous purge of up to 180,000 voters from the rolls.
On Tuesday, August 7, 2012, Congresswoman Wilson, Bishop Victor T. Curry, the Rev. Al Sharpton and the National Action Network are holding a Voter Engagement Tour luncheon for ministers, elected officials and community leaders at New Birth Baptist Church Cathedral of Faith International in Miami to educate people on their Constitutional right to vote and how to ensure that they are not disenfranchised.
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U.S. Rep. Frederica S. Wilson is a first-term Congresswoman from Florida representing parts of Northern Miami-Dade and Southeast Broward counties. A former state legislator and school principal, she is the founder of the 5000 Role Models for Excellence Project, a mentoring program for young males at risk of dropping out of school.
