Juan Andrade - USHLI Commends LULAC

USHLI Commends LULAC on Successful

Voting Rights Court Decisions

The following is a very exciting announcement recently released by LULAC pertaining to redistricting and voter protection. USHLI proudly congratulates and commends LULAC for its vigilance in fighting for and protecting the voting rights of Latinos and others. Any loss would have severely disenfranchised Latino voters. While these were not single-handed legal victories won by LULAC, as federal cases rarely are, LULAC has always been at the forefront of these battles as the oldest civil rights Latino organization in the nation. The LULAC announcement said:

Three Milestone Court Decisions All Rule in Favor of Voter Protection

Latinos have been victorious this week with three separate judicial decisions being upheld, which reinforces the power of the Latino voice in the upcoming election.

On Tuesday, a Federal District Court unanimously found that the State of Texas was discriminating against minorities in the drawing of new election districts, declaring that the maps would dilute minority voting power. Texas is projected to appeal the decision and LULAC will relentlessly fight to ensure that the redrawn maps are free of discrimination in time for the November 2012 election. (More details here.)

On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle will issue a permanent injunction barring the State of Florida from enforcing Florida's new election law that would have restricted organizations' ability to conduct voter registration drives. The law would have impacted LULAC's ability to run its voter registration campaign, the Future is in your Hands: Vote. We will keep you posted on details.

On Thursday, Texas' voter ID law was struck down in federal court. A three-judge panel in Washington declared that the law imposes "a substantial burden" on the right to vote for even the most "committed citizen" who would have to travel up to 250 miles at their own expense in order to obtain an ID and pay the $22 fee. (Read more here.)

2012 is a landmark election year where both parties cannot afford to ignore the voice of the Latino electorate. We commend the decisions to ensure the sanctity suffrage-which includes all people's right to vote including minorities.