H Rep Debate on Voter Assistance
Working File
October 3, 1981 - October 5, 1981

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Case Files, Thornburg v. Gingles Working Files - Guinier. H Rep Debate on Voter Assistance, 1981. 02a6246c-dc92-ee11-be37-6045bdeb8873. LDF Archives, Thurgood Marshall Institute. https://ldfrecollection.org/archives/archives-search/archives-item/952f843e-0142-4c59-bb7d-d0975f1ecd73/h-rep-debate-on-voter-assistance. Accessed April 19, 2025.
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\\ (t,[' . 1d^"1,e- 3) voter assistance H. Rep at 14: "Hearings on HR 3ll2 ind numerous practices and procedures which act to registration and voting. These practices include: . failure manipulation of assistance to illiterates." icate that there are as continued barriers to provide or abusive H. Debate at H6851, l0/3/8I, Fenwick: "I would Iike to ask the chairman I do not think there is sufficient protection there for the voter. . r think that if advice is needed, both parties can get together and advise outside and coach But nobody ought to go into that thing unless they are blind or have not got an arm or two arms. I mean, it is open to the most terribre abuse and there is no protection as far as r can see. Would the gentleman accept an amendment that would require that any advice and help take place outside the voting booth itself?" Edwards: "I do not know of any States where the people go actually into the polling booth rn addition to thatr w€ had no testimony to the effect that the abuse . mention[ed] exists. " H. Debate at H6965, L0/5/81, Fenwick: "To me it is shocking that assistance can be rendered to a voter, in what should be the secrecy of the voting booth, when the voter is not blind If assistance is needed, it should be rendered outside the booth . .We have Iet this support of assistance creep into the bill and I am afraid that now it will be hard to get an amendment to take it out. . We must keep other people out of the booth. Just leave the voter alone in the booth. Assist them outside. TeIl them, show them, anything you like, but not in the booth. "Note: this hras out of order, there h,as no response, and debate on the motion continued. H. Debate at H7001, L0/5/8I, Fenwick offers amendment: "Sec. 208. Nothing in this act shall be construed in such a way as to permit voting assistance to be given within the voting booth, unless the voter is blind, or physically incapacitated." Ewards in opposition to the amendment: "no provision of the VRA requires that jurisdictionsallow persons assisting persons to enter the voting booth with them. How assistance is provided is determined by state laws and is not properly a Federal responsi- bility. " The amendment was adopted. H. Debate at H7007, l0/5/8I, remarks of Ms. Collins of I11.: "SimilarIy, a requirement that illiterate persons can only receive voting assistance from election workers, instead of from persons of their choice r fr&y discourage those persons from voting if there are no minority election workers and they feel intim- idated by white election workers. "