LULAC Applauds Elected Officials Who Blocked Texas Voter Suppression Laws
Nation’s Oldest and Largest Latino Civil Rights Organization Says Opponents Broke Quorum to Protect Rights of Latinos and Blacks
Washington, DC - The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) said it supports the actions of elected representatives in Texas whose absence prevented a quorum in the waning hours of the 87th Legislature. “I want to thank every courageous Democratic representative who walked out of the legislative session Sunday night to defeat the worst voter suppression bill in recent memory in Texas, to block and make it more difficult for Texans to vote,” said Domingo Garcia, LULAC National President. “While it is one small battle, their actions send a message to those who would deprive fellow Americans of the right to vote. We will not go back to being second-class citizens in our own state and country. Hasta la Victoria!” added Garcia.
The Republican-controlled Texas legislature was attempting to approve severe new limitations against voting by mail, drive-through voting and ballot drop-off locations. All of these provisions helped to produce a record turnout of Latino and Black voters in 2020.
“The Democrats broke quorum to defend the rights of all Texans,” said Luis Roberto Vera Jr., LULAC National Legal Counsel. “LULAC already filed a lawsuit weeks ago to stop these illegal voter suppression attempts and we will continue to oppose those whose only intention is to force new guidelines on how ballots will be cast and by whom in future elections,” added Vera.
The absence of Democrats from the final session of the legislative session prevented a vote by the body. It now forces Texas Governor Greg Abbott to call for a special legislative session and start the process anew.
“In Texas’ so-called election-reform history, it was never about voter purity or election integrity,” says Garcia. “That was and is just ‘the big lie' to engage in voter suppression and rigging the elections in a disgraceful and unconstitutional way. The irony is, every Republican elected official who won in 2020, did so under a system that had almost zero voter fraud. Also, none have resigned or questioned their own election victory. LULAC will fight these voter suppression laws in the courthouse to protect all Texans’ right to freely vote. Also, to uphold our Democracy and our Constitution,” says Garcia.
Supporters of the changes wanted Texas' new voter laws to mirror similar recent restrictions passed in Florida and Georgia, two states included in charges by former President Trump about alleged voter fraud; claims that were not substantiated.
“This was simply a rush to fix something that isn’t broken,” says Linda Chavez, LULAC National Vice President for the Southwest. “The real issue was that the election didn’t turn out the way some people wanted so they tried to make sure that next time it’s harder for our communities to vote even though we did nothing illegal in the first place,” she adds.
“LULAC is committed to continue educating, empowering and encouraging Latinos to vote,” says Rodolfo Rosales Jr., Texas State Director. “The blatant actions to strip our right to vote without any proof of voter fraud or wrongdoing were shameful and failed. Even more regrettable is that this was happening on Memorial Day weekend when we honor men and women who died to protect our liberty and the ideals of America for all. May they rest in peace,” added Rosales.
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About LULAC
The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) is the nation’s largest and oldest civil rights volunteer-based organization that empowers Hispanic Americans and builds strong Latino communities. Headquartered in Washington, DC, with 1,000 councils around the United States and Puerto Rico, LULAC’s programs, services and advocacy address the most important issues for Latinos, meeting critical needs of today and the future. For more information, visit https://lulac.org/