Voter Assistance (Statements and Testimony)

    !,. Vohy fltt;"[644gr-

Agyr^Aa l" S5lr'.;,/ve^,'+ \r1 Bcvrnic -Thonr(so. o* gteo

The yir,n:nc bllck ca.aq-dates hld beer, lullei tnto a sense ofccrmPlacenc) reliarornc t.trelr pr:nary vjctory. lie:etofo:e vjCtoryin-tie prina;y hai been tartuount to eleciic:, ani it yas ---
u"r1j-\eil that t-he b.ec).. cand:oat.es coull nuster as hanj_ votes
f or a ge:e:a:. el cc::o; cc:tes.. as t}re), hao f c,: ..jle:r pi_:rn;D,elec*.!cn. lr',a:\' c.:1e9. studen+_s uhc iai \,.:ed :l: tfre'prir.a,rysc,uii be cu: c1 : ta+.e. uorkinc tr, surnme:- 3obs b1. .:une 5. fui,tf.r"r,t-he nrne:' tn \t'ht c:, the three election clrrissl c:ers had beenappcintei su::gestei that tlre whrtes right atterPt to steal tlegenera] electjorr. r.ar! of tle b]acks,lho h"a ro:ec rn theprinarJ felt free to vote for tle cu,C.oe-,es c{ ti,e:.i o,"i"",.because nana-cers hai beer selecied to assist i,laci jl-rteraies
rtk, }. ad tfre cor. jidence oj ijre Uiaci com;:r--;.. Tn€ tllreeciecti-or corsl,tsg:on€:.s r.il,ec to coniuci tie ccnera.l. electrondic not have ih€ corrfj.def,ce of the bLac): mr;.s.:ty, axd the)-rpreserce ir, t.le poiiing place, o: tlreir nar:e: :r-assrs,.ingill.iterate b]acirs, would deter rnax:.bLacks i:or, veSing,61.-fron. voting for the cand:oates o: iiej.t chcrce.

{)terc5a $wrelha G-t 8\rl
tu

Ir'. Burroughs'
TESTIMO\Y OF THERESA BURROI.IGHS

IPJ:I?"'"#i"H*1T."^""HXT',*x:"'$*l*.":fl "trT#in Hale ii,-eU. i .- chailmariof the bo.ard ,of,th,9
ffi;ir'c,i;. t-p--i.j.E.,t G"gu" I". "X 

in ll". b]'-t\E].'
ir"T'#;"'n"t;-!,-1.^t $:^3 .'joiitv' Hale countv has a popu'

-*t,i.t, is 63 Percent black'
ffi !:i;^it"l**-I^TF,,::'ifs':s"r::"11"'i*#;'x;fu ':HH;l';',;;';;;-;f;;dL omg" rJr"*al)'"vears I niarihed *ith
i#"i,"t,'iriq ; [G i'o-''s"t "L 6- y-".1 g:-: 1. i:l 116'n 3:ffi;';;t)' ;b"ri 53 btacks were registered to "Jt F -!31:'ifi"iit " 

Voting Rights Act passed we immediatel;- regis'

iapt

f frrs,F+ flst ll.-:'I^l=,^ld;yi.:,"..S0,:gtfl:1fi'H#:;"'w; !".Ga uirck persons a-s ma]'or and town council rn

H:; ;;; ;i 60'l perso'ns where t',tlqk-* are i5 percent, of.the
T:';;:i;; tt" u"fo- first time in 1980, r'e elected blacks to a
i'il,ie; ;ffi.;.- w; 6t""t a a black to th-e Hale. C;ountv School

.--:-- -^-lrl^- I. :- -ll o iiranf -acrtltSJ lri-,,J'q .gr.tl .otn-it.io, position. lt is all a direct result

3*.1*i*I'tl"r3i*E'#,,"#;;l1ui;',r\1e"p:T1ff{
= 

?;r."il; Ia" sav-s that thev arb suppo-sed to let .the public

=i;t'"; 
[f,"i:*itilii g"t tne ire not n6iified r*'hen they t-il] be

fi;'i"i,,"-.-;rioi t" the 1980 elections thel put notices in the

#;""d;;"id th."; thel' were Jo! !1:f ,5-' :"'^"^ll-li'.T11:I *"";'i;; tii"=- ao"'., t6 the office r*-ith loads of people to get

i ft Ht :i",1 nr f,li^iTl:h "xi 
13 ii&i' i[:ii+ ! \q:"rrji Til'* i; ;;";;;[ r,"i*t-"nt' At our ]asr election in Ncvember

:rgaii-ihe person ot";i[;-ilx fesld-not 19i ]itlla

i 
g:,Hffi 5## #,##Tf; , ;*i "+ffi 

-iP".,#*iif,i
i ff;iffiit;fr.'.ffifeatened b1' the.poiice thar we s-illIfitCe on me. lAe natt LretsIl Lrued'LYrrru v.\ r:r(,l'""'^ "": _if;i;; tc'faii .nd o" have been accused of eiectto;ree:-ing \\'r'-i,

itfili"f,Lip? tfr" J"=ii"" Dupit .".'. and iht extension of the

il*iie n-igfiL. eit. [t".* rn ir,e Souih *'or..]d 1x. in p:.erti' bai

fr-?-,J. G cay o.-+ e 4'+

( 9I \t cV. ^(s) 
]

R.p \de ^l 
tt, I [-..rlatrt

Mr Hvor \4 eli, I have no specific questions otber than tc extend

.i-rr-""*iatioi-'fti the thr[* of_your s',atements and all the

$Sier.renlf s.e heve hearo todai i irnon -Lner€ u allclh€: pzir€-

*i.ri.i J cannot remair fo: It is ver-\' iliqrr,i=airnE -anc ) appre'-iatt
it I just lr'anr to commenr parentheticallt' tnal s'ha'. ma-t F g*j
ir: one section of tt," country mal' be abused ir another As-'istance
ful;; -f- 

"*"-ple, 
s-hich you ha,re Eta'"ed rs desirable where. you

;;'i-? ;;. ;i th; mcxl abuiei thi.rgs uF rr rn) .i'.irlsdiction 'here
rh" prec;nc', 

"ap,.uj-" 
goes in and sees hov 1':u io:,€ arri mahes su:'e

irr \:.,,u risbi 'and ma:'be 'o'.es 
fo: you T:'a: .ha;;r:s ,nie: the

ir=. "i*=|.;ir; e-*p)i ftro, olher cour''':'e! $ rc cic' nol speai' the

t"r.;iJ;;;i ii ig*e tiins as.l sa1 i: -ii=e'ru:-s(iicrior'= 'ni
il ,L. L 

"Uis-"a 
* oih".. Bui wha: !.c,u .ta,','* tt,)i us ha= been

Polt workers often refuse to allou vot€rF u'ho are illiterate or
who neei assistance ir: voting tr: select someone of their ou.., ch.,cs'
ing u' assist thern

!er) il'nPur-"ant and I thank You



(l) Vde{, Ass teh-nc. , aoi+

DqA t d Nt 
"Lc-oA- CAtl, 6e-. S. c.) &+ Iqe3 f r* c p1's'L'o" l

"'in iu.,- ihe'iaithf ulness of South Carolina submissions was noted
in a footnot,e in a Supreme Court decision in which it was stated
lhar South Caro]ina was the onll' State falling u'ithin the scope of
the act which had consistentll'complied u'ith the act

Since the implementatton of the act. there have only been two
counties in wirrcb Federal ohsen'ers have been sent into South
Carolina. during the 1'ears 1966, 1968, 19?(). and 19?2. and the
cntire episode u'a-s concluded li'ithout rancor.

There uas on)1 one actual lau'suit r*'hich was brought in the
courts at that time to clarifl the ngmbers of persons itho were-!o
[--rS.nlir;-"ithittih" r"iL"s il "fE&ial-couffi judgment was handed dor'r'n
and complied ri-ith

There 
-have. in the 1€, years of the coYerage of the act, been ver]'

feu'complaints regarding votins rights problems made to m1' office

??L p cC\.cske1 qt. t{rr Cr.. oqps J.,t r' lro lr"\ ,"1d turnnttbrs]
-lvir. 

Eoulnos Thank you very much, Mr McCioskel'.- ':,
iine of the previous witnesses mentioned the Federal cases. One \

"T;;; v. Sichs Ti,e ott et is the Puerta Rtcan Organization for \

i"i,irrol Action r. Xu*per. u'here the courl said that if a person

*.*hu ."rno, read Englisi is entitled to oral assistance: if a Negro is
,"iirtea to correction of erroneous instructions, so a Spanish-speak-
i1s Pu"rto Rican is entitled to assistance in the language he can

rebd or rrrite or understand'-\\'ould not your suggestion violat.e what the court has held? You
are going to g:rre a Sfinish-speaking American citizen born in San -
Jose or San Mateo no assistance- 

Mr. McCrosI(Er. \{,-Hl. iffie person is born here, he is required
ro so to school until the age of i6 il the State of California in a

sci',ool s-vstem in which we are going to breah our bacL*- to give him
oroficienct' in the English language so that he car: earn a living.
i"e lt at ihe age of 16 that person has not pursued the course of
srucil in the English language that rn'e spent Eo much monel' to
make available t6 him. th6n I ha"e no s1-mpathv n'rth that person's
inabilitr to find and undersianci the marerials on hoq. to vote.

It seems i0 times more imponant that that person n'ho is born
he:^e and gone through a sihool s1'stern for 1o 1'ears have the
abiiitl- rc elrn a living and have the ecorromic opportunitl r{ithout
whicl: he or she cannot have without an und.ers'"andrng of the
language

?-a

)oe R€&t- a-+ I<31 (Set- also \t4't'Lr.,al bwvrva ) ? ))

ArDtiEr iiat hc rr, i-prt aiverEel)'o bl,.d(si rE..(L-qteI1jE

r F= !s tlE tad, oJ blaaiL< r.-i:rg 6 Bards of RegEstrars ard !:: r&li'3s: gp

tEl oa b]aoKs t'cgciry as e.Leeio offrcial-s. I{hi}e i yi]-l cjEoe t}E.. tiE-

a tiri. rc=iu:p as ei€'lc) offid.al-c ir a fB, o.n5e, u EB-. cDir-je

}|.r-. e :*-1i serec:eC tcrcri Lc Fr,i\E offi-'r., ard tlu-. -€.Es tr,.ill:
-'F --iapa-js. l: tlE Ejitr--' p::aess. fi€ s-i- fdw s:tE1:-

-- 
z-'j* and o:E :-a g::-er:'. ojj::a-s e -De=oil:lE Fclrri

*E fE. fi E daa:LE 38: tEE E x Es. fr: l?i baiE +Jr

lr: rE E. ute:t blxi: tEE 5lO', tr 6sts-- o-JE' bLacjL. u r-jjE

tsi zirts. =E€ b:!iL. hlr E. rc.-€d or oti*.i* irffioata.

1566r

. \\re stil.l use paper ballots Mo:-eoler, for lack of a better terrn. wehale c,per, house vcring in Pichens County. Aia ln most pol[ni
pla:es there is nc pri'.'alr u'hatsoever J ;::ea:: q.hatsoever

. Fo:'.e.xarr,pie.. i] I \o'.e at rhe armot-\. I musr go ihrere anci gc, 1a
the table u'j-itch ha-. the Jetrc;, B I arrc all the 6ther vot€rs . h,i
rrzr'ie €rrd in B mus., marh our baliots in the presence of othen
uslng the same table.

For thcse foihs whc cannot read. it is ver-r. dlscouraging becaux
these foiks ofler are readi);- turned off b.v ne* schemes to hapsg
blaci; vol.ers.

Du:.,r',q:nr l9Ei ele:-ticr, la": fal. b:=:.r_. s+r:r= _rl b+.,lit o:::..
On3: v n: \i'rl-i. Cii:S:iJiea a3. -: v.:,: -ri :,L:: D: pI;,i'tG:n! AS:lS:-A.I:3t
Lc vO:e::

ir- acidriior.. tbe s'"ariarcis ior asslsrin-E vor,ers wa-s changed br
local officials

Peopie'*'hc. were tr,proticie assisrance ueie i-equired f,c, stani aD
u:,:'ezs.,nable dis:.a:,:: e*a.r fra,r rhe poi!:ng piace I har,:r;ec tr,
i)e c,ne Thel u'ere rfle:. qat.:hed or a de:,';:.., sner-Lff on dui. ar the
po,lrng p;a:'e

l; n':r :'ase pa.::i; ;iar.i tne depu;.r si,e:,fi :..)c,i piclur-es o1 rne-
i.I vcu q'i].. u'e are u-iiiing tr, sh-o:e the;r. rr',ti. vo;-and all of ',ht
folxs J 3:s:S'.e,j rr, r;,ir1';g

- Ha=-ihls cc,ir,ini:.'.ee ere:' hear.<i of suc|'

{u4tQre- '1>o72rwy"
al,\' t(tau



[r) Vole^r AsEtslc*tL , c-r*'f

Mgl{re Rozrasr;rr tcr}t +, o} \SIP 0

Absentee ballots ln Pichens C,ounty in 1980 the sheriff deputies
q.ere instrueted to vlsit the homes 6t att black families who re
ouested absenlee ballots The n'bole idea behind this move \ra-q to

der"r.nin. if there were people who got absentee ballots who were

in tou'n on the da1' of election
ln addition to it is, lega) harassment can result from voter Par-

ticipation in Ptckens Countl'. I can testifr to that because I sought

t" 
-6J'."tt 

blach people iegarding hoo ihe'* can vote an absent'ee

ballot- 
B1 doing so. I r[a-. hauled int.o coun and accused of fraud along

s'ith Mrs. Juira Wiider
The board of elections released me once an indictment s'a-. made

about charges -regarding absentee baliot distribution
Just beiig a o.*oter in Pickens Countr is a u,earl"ing experience

Sometimes I feel Iike pf ing up. but I keep going on'

- Un ESiSDce--YouDS. I naigverr mixed ieellig--Eause I cari

teli yo[GT is-nEil abused up in m]' area n'here. the poliing
o,o.t'"i-ao"s the voirne for the- voter-rnakes sure thel' vote for
the righi part]'-noq. rie have heari *'here il is all done on the
table: there is nc, Privacr.

That is outrageous. a6solute)1 outrageous: 1-et do ]*ou \^'anl t,o sa)'

someihing. Mr Reeo. about assislance I'olingl)
Itlr Rrel, )'es. si:'
bn. tf,ing. in Alabama a voter has ti"re' right tr-r select a person of

frrs cncrosin'g !o asslsi hirr, In other words.Johr Jones can.get hi.c

mother, brother. cousir,. anyone he rx'an[s rc tal:e rn tn help him
Wtur h"pi.rr 

'n.e 
have fbund -some resisiance fr..rm poliing.offi'

cials on ttrli. Uut the attorne-r' penera) and the la$-s have been

ini".pret"d trr rrc&r thai a voter can ge: the pe:'son oI hrs choosing
t,:,neip htn',

\1r'Hyor I rrculc iixe-l thrni; thal rs a gocd idea i: snoulri be

ar-1\'a,n€ hu: a politnc c,ffiiizil
I\Lr Rrel Rtgnr
l\1r. [iYor The politng officia] rc the:'e t'(; set ]*ou vole rrgn: anc

n{)'- L(, ca-ri th€ v6t. Ioi -vou Thal i. ar abuse rn m}' .rucigmeni
Mr Reer \\'e al;ee g'iiF, .'-ou
Irlr Hr nr Tnest are ve:\- re:'ious cnarge: and iacu

P.3

\4": tesE tr'^e- \"
Blze.,.n>rr , ai tfgL+

}rar5 exVU g whaaan ( *r. ol 9, fl-4 care) a* rlb 3
-U: Hr-pr Don't the.r'get rnto the br:th g.jth ther.r:.enf usc1s1

llen rhere"
Us BtrCHrx-t-n* \l'e h.avs s prorision no'^ in C.olo;-adc. statu:es_

6tr sa.vs s_famil.v member ma-v-.-. ma-\. a;ragi-Oi th,.-"r[r., o*_,
cbcosing But onl.r' urrdei one- of the nlc -oi 

iiioiu .li.,r-J.on"",
Mr .Hi'ne. I si;ppose if the voier cbo,oses ttre iuJge,'th;."h"ip. ;

EJe.-but.*'e ha-r'e the. experierrce ir chicago oi fr," Lrr.Gnce voi€r
Eual.r doing rhe voting And that can be-an abuse. too.-----

I supoose ir, co;r:rr,unj'-ies q'he:-e the:t a:+ s::c:--,--i a;. rrino:,.
F- groups r: 's.i i rr ui'r, oi a pi:b,er, i{ pt i,cu:€- 

":= 
Jf ti tn"r,poiili pjare-r al- of.tres:. bi.lingua, -iuices 

'gr: j ."" i *'.i.,"ru i,
oOUJC D€ Cosij.\ anC C:fitCUi:., I:; Olner a:-eas mar.be.

Itls Brcarx,c,x h shouidn't bc a p:"obleralfrir", ha'e enough
rynulp,on of rha'i la,p.rage.rrirrontl. ir sirou;a be'i;;';.-'and itDouic D€ \'e:'\ ea-s.r Io' the political po-le:. earch' of therr. rn;Ftrrul: one