{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://lee.house.gov/news/press-releases/congresswoman-barbara-lee-joins-cbc-in-election-reform-hearing", "CONGRESSWOMAN BARBARA LEE JOINS CBC IN ELECTION REFORM HEARING", "2001-02-27", "2001", "2001-02", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Barbara Lee", "L000551", "lee.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "02.27.01\n\t\t\t CONGRESSWOMAN BARBARA LEE JOINS CBC IN ELECTION REFORM HEARING \n\t\t\tWashington, DC - Congresswoman Barbara Lee today joined the Congressional Black Caucus in a hearing to examine\r\n   electoral reform in the wake of alleged voting rights violations in Florida during the 2000 Presidential Election.  The hearing provided a forum for national leaders, government officials, and affected voters to discuss the most recent  \r\n   presidential election and reforms that will ensure every vote is counted. \"This is another opportunity to record what happened and speak out\r\nagainst this travesty of justice,\" said Lee. \"We must get to\r\nthe bottom of what happened in Florida, and make sure that the proper\r\nsteps are taken so that no American will be denied the\r\nright to vote, and more importantly, that every vote is counted.\" Following the highest African American voter turnout in history,\r\nallegations of voting rights violations arose, including intimidation\r\nand harassment, a disproportionate disqualification of voters, lost and\r\ndistorted ballots, and even missing ballot boxes. More\r\nthan 480 complaints and 300 pages of testimony have been collected from\r\npeople who say they were blocked from voting in\r\nFlorida.  \"The one vote, one voice principal is the cornerstone of democracy, and too many people have fought, and even died, for that  \r\nbasic right,\" said Lee. \"To hear of these voting rights violations\r\nnearly 150 years after passage of the Fifteenth Amendment, and\r\nover 35 years since the passage of the Voting Rights Act, is simply\r\nunacceptable. We would denounce these occurrences in\r\nother countries, and we must do the same here.\" \"Our national leaders must come together and pass real election reform to make sure that this never happens again,\" said Lee.  \r\n\"This not a Republican or Democrat issue, nor is it a racial issue. It\r\nis a fundamental issue that should concern every American.\" \"The Congressional Black Caucus will continue to highlight the\r\nelection irregularities in Florida, and will continue urging our  \r\n   Congressional colleagues to come up with solutions that ensure free, fair and transparent elections, in which all can truly  \r\n   participate,\" said Lee. \"Our democracy is at a crossroads, and must be protected.\"  Congresswoman thanked her Congressional Black Colleagues for their leadership and diligence in pursuing election reform, and\r\nthe members of Congress who participated in the hearing. The CBC is committed to passage of strong election reform legislation\r\nbefore summer recess.\r\n###\r\n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n \n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://lee.house.gov/news/press-releases/congresswoman-barbara-lee-joins-cbc-in-election-reform-hearing"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.9290819764137268, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}