LULAC Wins Federal Court Decision That Strikes Down Texas Voter Residency Requirements
Nation’s Largest and Oldest Latino Civil Rights Organization Declares Major Lawsuit Win Defeating Texas Governor’s Attempts to Disqualify Latino Votes
Washington, DC - Domingo Garcia, national president of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), issued a statement late Tuesday following a ruling by the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas striking down Texas Senate Bill (S.B.) 1111. LULAC said the so-called election integrity bill “imposes vague, onerous restrictions on the voter registration process, chilling political participation and further burdening the abilities of lawful voters to cast their ballots to make their voices heard.” Voto Latino was also a plaintiff in the lawsuit.
“Today, LULAC has won a landmark decision that sends a powerful message to Governor Abbott: Don’t Mess with Tejanos!” said Garcia. “We are lawful voters with the same rights under the U.S. Constitution, and your attempts to stop our growing Hispanic voting strength have failed repeatedly. Abbott and the Republican-led legislature tried to use multiple illegal methods to restrict Latinos from voting. LULAC is making sure that all Texas voters have equal voting rights,” he added.
“This ruling is a major victory for Texans who had their voting rights threatened by Senate Bill 1111. The bill’s vague, burdensome registration requirements were a direct attack on historically underrepresented and underserved voters,” said Uzoma Nkwonta, Elias Law Group Partner. “Thankfully, a federal court has now recognized that these provisions are clearly unconstitutional. Congratulations to LULAC and other voting rights advocates who fought back against this blatant attempt at voter suppression from the Texas Legislature,” he said.
“Texas LULAC is elated that the federal court saw through this thinly-veiled voter suppression effort,” says Rodolfo Rosales, Jr., Texas LULAC State Director. “Our youths are energized, and the governor’s neck-and-neck race with Beto O’Rourke is a testament that post office boxes are not the threat he needs to be worried about in this election. More concerning are the policies of this state administration and its supporters, who are waging a wholesale campaign to disenfranchise Hispanic voters. Their plan is not working, and LULAC vows to see them in court as many times as we need to beat back their illegal legislative attacks. The power of the people has prevailed!” said 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/