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Becoming an Informed Voter
Congressmen Robert C.“Bobby” Scott
GOVT 220-D05
Angela Antoine
April 24, 2023
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Introduction
Not only is it easy to become an informed voter these days, but it's important to know your
candidates before even stepping into the polling booth. The book of Deuteronomy tells us,
"Choose wise, understanding, and honest men from every tribe, and I will set them over you"
(Deuteronomy 1:13). The announcement indicates what new changes are being made and
whether they introduce breaking changes. It's useful to know other people's opinions because
sometimes people observe things that you don't or don't have. In the end, one has to decide
whom one will vote for and elect the best state representative. It is imperative to vote for a
candidate who will vote as you would vote yourself. Another thing that caught my attention was
Dr. Witham’s says that in our society, the media plays a huge role in politics and our elections;
the media will only report good or bad things. A certain candidate is based on what they want to
know about him.
The legislature of this country is the United States Congress, a branch of the federal government.
It is a bicameral legislature composed of two chambers, the House of
Representatives and the Senate. Americans have the privilege of being able to elect those who
represent us in the House or in the Senate. Most of the time, electing a person is a choice of who
we believe will serve as a phenomenal leader and someone we can trust to make the best
decision for the people. These representatives vote on and introduce bills that are meant to
benefit our state and a specific congressional district that can make a huge difference in anyone's
life.
House of Representative Bobby Scott (D)
Congressman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott represented Virginia's 3rd congressional district in the
of the United States House of Representatives since 1993. Prior to his service in Congress, he
served in theVirginia House of Delegates from 1978 to 1983 and to the Virginia Senate from
1983 to 1993.
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During his tenure in the Virginia General Assembly, Congressman Scott successfully sponsored
basic laws for Virginians in the areas of education, employment, health care, social services and
the economic development, crime prevention, and consumer protection. His legislative successes
in The General Assembly included laws increasing Virginia's minimum wage and creating a
Governor's Minimum Wage Council for Employment and Training and Better Health Care for
Women, Infants, and Children.
His election to Congress in 1992 gave Congressman Scott the honor of being the first African-
Americans elected to Congress from Virginia since the election of John Mercer Langston over
100 years earlier during the Reconstruction era. Having a Filipino maternal grandfather, The
ancestry also gives him the distinction of being the first American of Filipino ancestry to serve
as a voting member of Congress.
Congressman Scott served in the United States National Guard from 1974-1976 and the United
States Army Reserve. He is a member of the Budget Committee, a ranking member of the
Education and Labor, and a member of the Subcommittee on Workforce Protection. During this
time he has been awarded numerous awards.
According to Vote smart, Congressman Scott doesn’t have any Issue Positions at this time.
However, the Congressman does support social safety programs like Medicare and Social
Security. “Our responsibility for the nation’s general welfare is the provision for safe and
enriching communities. Regrettably, far too many students, workers, and families do not have
access to the protections, support, and benefits they need to stay safe and healthy," said Chairman
Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03). (Votesmart.org)
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U.S. Senator Timothy Kaine (D)
Tim became Richmond’s mayor, focusing on bringing people together. The New York Times
called Tim "helpful in bridging racial divides in the city." He then became Virginia's 70th
governor, leading the Commonwealth through the country's worst recession in 70 years and
bringing national recognition to the state: under Tim's leadership, Virginia was celebrated for its
business climate, innovative governance, and effective family policies. and child success. In the
Senate, Tim continues to fight to move Virginia forward. He passed legislation to reduce veteran
unemployment, fund pediatric cancer research, protect the natural world, provide better tools to
combat sexual assault on campus, expand career and technical education, and finally, federally
recognize Virginia Native American tribes. She has campaigned for women's empowerment,
increased access to health care, gun safety, combating climate change, and criminal justice
reform. Whenever she can, she walks down the aisle to find a common language but never
hesitates to resist attempts to divide us.
Senator Kaine’s views are straightforward, and he wants good jobs and a strong economy, tackle
gun violence, women’s equality, and support for veterans and our military.
Senator Kaine’s view on Equality is one of America's founding principles - that "all men are
created equal" - and Tim has spent his life creating a level playing field for all. Tim began his
career as a civil rights attorney, representing racially discriminated banks, landlords, housing
associations, and local governments. As governor, he promoted equal protection by prohibiting
discrimination against government employees because of race, sex, color, national origin
religion, sexual orientation, age, political affiliation, veteran status, or disability.
Tim knows that diversity and inclusion strengthen our communities. He openly opposed
President Trump's agenda is to bar Muslims from entering America and deport millions of people
who know America only as their homeland and empower white nationalists to retake Virginia
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and America. He knows that while marriage equality is the law, LGBTQ Americans still have
many battles to fight in the fight for equality, which is why he advocates for LGBTQ labor
protections to be passed so no Virginian ever gets his job lost because of his or her sexuality or
sexual orientation. He was a proud supporter of the right to vote and sponsored legislation
restoring important provisions of the Voting Rights Act, and working on expanding early voting
and access to ballots to all Virginians.
“In this country, if you work hard, do your part, and treat people right, you should be able to earn
a good living — you should be able to give your kids better than you had. That’s how it’s
supposed to work in the greatest country in the world.” Tim Kaine
Virginia's third congressional district runs along the James River and stretches 90 miles from
Richmond to Hampton Roads. The district has had a primary structure since 1992 when the
General Assembly sought to implement a US Department of Justice policy that would give
African Americans a better chance to elect their own members of Congress.
It worked. In 1992, Bobby Scott became Virginia's first black congressman since Reconstruction.
But a 25-year effort to create and maintain a minority district has thwarted federal judges who
have ruled twice — in 1998 and 2014 — that Virginia unconstitutionally made race
the dominant factor in drawing the lines.
The General Assembly did not meet the deadline of September 1 to reorganize the district
without a single race or even the main factor. The task of drawing new maps is now assigned to
the courts.The modern 3rd congressional district dates back to the 1990 census,
which showed that Virginia's population had grown enough to warrant an 11th seat in
the US House of Representatives. At the same time, the United States President
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George H. W. Bush's Justice Department ordered states to create minority-majority districts
where possible.
This leadership led several southern states to divide white and black areas within communities,
resulting in regional inequality. In Virginia, the convention created a district
with 61.4 percent of the black voting-age population. The Third Congressional
District winds its way from Richmond north to the Central Peninsula, then south and east to
Norfolk.
In 1995, two Republican voters filed a lawsuit alleging that District 3's plan had been racially
tampered with unconstitutionally. Supporters defended the majority-minority district, saying it
has historically been legitimate under the Voting Rights Act to address systemic discrimination
against Virginia's minority voters. But the lawsuit -- funded by a group known as the Campaign
for a Color-Blind America -- says the plan amounts to modern-day segregation.
In 1997, a three-judge panel ruled that the district boundaries were unconstitutional and ordered
the General Assembly to redraw the boundaries.
In 1998, the General Assembly passed a revised plan to reunite several divided localities, but
retained an electoral population of 50 in District 3.
The boundaries of the 3rd District were again changed following the 2000 census. The 2012
General Assembly passed a plan that increased the black population of voting age to 53.1%.
