Texas Insider Report: WASHINGTON, DC—Congressmen John Culberson (TX-07) and Todd Rokita (IN-04) recently introduced H.R. 2829, the Restoring Important Voting Eligibility Requirements to the States Act of 2013, or the RIVERS Act. The RIVERS Act restores the states’ Constitutional power to protect the integrity of their voter rolls. The bill reinforces the congressional intent of the National Voting Rights Act and allows individual states to determine the eligibility of voters.
After introduction of the legislation, Rokita said: “Voting is a fundamental and sacred right in our Republic and it must be protected. Many states have taken steps to ensure that the vote of each citizen is not diluted through illegal registration and fraudulently-cast ballots. One of those states is Indiana, where as Indiana Secretary of State I worked to help pass the first-of-its-kind photo identification law to protect the voting rights of Hoosiers.
Unfortunately, the Supreme Court’s recent decision requires states to accept a National Voter Registration Form that falls short of meeting the requirements constitutionally set by the states, striking a blow to the integrity of our elections. I am pleased to work with Rep. Culberson to offer the RIVERS Act, legislation which is critical to giving states the tools they need and authority granted to them by our Founders to ensure only American citizens are casting ballots so that we can trust the fairness of elections.”
“Protecting the integrity of our elections is vital to the legitimacy of our Republic,” Culberson said. “States must be able to ensure the accuracy of their voting rolls. I was proud to work with Rep. Rokita to introduce legislation that empowers states with the necessary tools to protect the integrity of the voting process. As Americans, our elections should remain free and fair, and all legal votes should be counted.”
Congressman John Culberson represents the Seventh District of Texas.
