| 1 | 1 | | 86R3242 KSM-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: E. Johnson of Dallas H.C.R. No. 12 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | CONCURRENT RESOLUTION |
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| 6 | 6 | | WHEREAS, Low voter turnout on election day is a widespread |
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| 7 | 7 | | problem across the United States, as Americans attempt to juggle |
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| 8 | 8 | | their work and family responsibilities with a visit to their local |
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| 9 | 9 | | poll; and |
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| 10 | 10 | | WHEREAS, Since 1960, national voter turnout in presidential |
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| 11 | 11 | | elections has ranged between 51 and 63 percent of eligible voters; |
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| 12 | 12 | | turnout for midterm elections, while up in 2018, has typically not |
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| 13 | 13 | | amounted to even half of eligible voters, averaging around 40 |
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| 14 | 14 | | percent between 1974 and 2014; and |
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| 15 | 15 | | WHEREAS, Compared with that of other countries, our numbers |
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| 16 | 16 | | are abysmally low, as turnout is well over 80 percent in established |
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| 17 | 17 | | democracies around the globe, from Australia to Belgium; and |
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| 18 | 18 | | WHEREAS, The causes for this low turnout are complicated, but |
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| 19 | 19 | | in surveys of American adults by the U.S. Census Bureau, family and |
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| 20 | 20 | | work obligations are frequently cited as a reason for not voting; |
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| 21 | 21 | | and |
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| 22 | 22 | | WHEREAS, Businesses across the country are responding to this |
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| 23 | 23 | | challenge through the "Take Back Tuesday" initiative and are |
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| 24 | 24 | | closing on election day; on this issue, private enterprise, the |
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| 25 | 25 | | engine of America, is leading by example and government should |
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| 26 | 26 | | follow suit; and |
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| 27 | 27 | | WHEREAS, Voting is the cornerstone of a democracy, and |
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| 28 | 28 | | government must act to ensure that all Americans have the |
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| 29 | 29 | | opportunity to accept the responsibilities of citizenship and to |
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| 30 | 30 | | actively and regularly participate in the electoral process; now, |
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| 31 | 31 | | therefore, be it |
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| 32 | 32 | | RESOLVED, That the 86th Legislature of the State of Texas |
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| 33 | 33 | | hereby respectfully urge the Congress of the United States to |
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| 34 | 34 | | designate the Tuesday next after the first Monday in November in |
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| 35 | 35 | | 2020 and each even-numbered year thereafter as a legal public |
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| 36 | 36 | | holiday described in 5 U.S.C. Section 6103; and, be it further |
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| 37 | 37 | | RESOLVED, That the Texas secretary of state forward official |
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| 38 | 38 | | copies of this resolution to the president of the United States, to |
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| 39 | 39 | | the president of the Senate and the speaker of the House of |
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| 40 | 40 | | Representatives of the United States Congress, and to all the |
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| 41 | 41 | | members of the Texas delegation to Congress with the request that |
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| 42 | 42 | | this resolution be entered in the Congressional Record as a |
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| 43 | 43 | | memorial to the Congress of the United States of America. |
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