FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:  Myra L. Dandridge (CBC) (202) 226-9776
John Judge (Rep. McKinney) (202) 225-1955

U.S. Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney (D-GA) delivered the weekly CBC "Message to America" radio address on Saturday, June 24, 2006.  Rep. McKinney discussed the importance of reauthorizing the Voting Rights Act.

 The CBC "Message to America" is distributed nationwide to the American Urban Radio Network's (AURN) affiliate stations.

Audio online at: /cbcmta.mp3

Rep. McKinney delivered the following remarks:

"This is Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney of Georgia.

"As the US Congress considers extending the Voting Rights Act, it is important to note that Black voters are still confronted with a concerted effort to deny their right to vote and have outspoken, uncompromising representation.

"In 2000, Choicepoint was asked by Florida officials to provide them an incorrect list of supposed convicted felons--who actually were not convicted felons--and then innocent people were illegally denied the right to vote in Florida.

"In 2002, we learned that crossover voting can be used as effectively as the all-white primaries were, to deny African American voters the right to choose their representatives.  This is in clear violation of the Voting Rights Act.

"In my own district, electronic voting machines broke down, burned out, froze screens and cast votes for candidates other than those intended by the voter.

"In Ohio 2004, voting machines were allocated not by the number of registered voters per precinct, but by the type of calculation that no one wants to admit still happens. As a result, black voters waited in line as long as four hours just to vote.

"The sad fact is that someone intended for these things to happen.  And every time we don't vote, we take their side against us.

"As this Congress considers the Voting Rights Act, I hope it will care enough to craft legislation that addresses these 21st Century disfranchisement schemes that occur today.

"This is Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney on behalf of the Congressional Black Caucus."

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