LULAC Wins Federal Court Ruling In Texas Voter Suppression Case
Nation’s Oldest and Largest Latino Civil Rights Organization Says Today’s Decision by Judge Aids Communities of Color Hard Hit by COVID-19
Washington, DC - The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) said Friday that the voting rights of all Texans, including Latinos have been upheld by United States Federal Court Judge Robert J. Pittman.
“Voter suppression is evil and a blight on Democracy,” says Domingo Garcia, LULAC National President. “Today, a federal judge struck a blow against Governor Abbott and the Republicans’ attempts to stop senior citizens and others concerned about their safety and well-being from voting in Texas. LULAC stands firm in defending every person's right to vote. We will continue to stand vigilant against any politician who tries to usurp this most precious Constitutional guarantee. LULAC today has prevailed on behalf of 5.6 million Hispanic voters and every other person who should have the lawful right to drop off their mail-in ballot with no unreasonable barriers created to discourage them from voting. Governor Greg Abbott is trying to prey on the fear of the pandemic which will keep Hispanics from wanting to risk their lives by going to the polls in person. Instead, they and many other qualified, legal voters prefer to safeguard their well-being by dropping off their ballot at authorized locations near them and today’s injunction guarantees they will be able to do so,” says Garcia.
The State of Texas argued that Governor Abbott was not trying to change election law, merely exercising his authority through proclamation to ensure the integrity of the results by restricting the number of locations where mail-in ballots can be dropped off for security reasons. Attorneys argued Texas voters still have numerous ways to deliver their ballot including the postal service, drop it off in person or vote personally before or on Election Day.
“Judge Pittman saw through the Governor’s actions cloaked under the fancy word ‘proclamation’ and he agreed that irreparable harm would be done to Hispanic voters,” said Luis Roberto Vera, Jr., General Counsel for LULAC. “By limiting to one location per county where tens of thousands of ballots would need to be dropped off, an unreasonable burden would be created especially in large metropolitan areas like Harris County. The judge agreed with us and the injunction he issued prevents Governor Abbott from doing so,” says Vera.
Civil rights leaders call today’s action historic. “LULAC applauds Judge Pittman for his courage in confronting a blatant act of discrimination,” says Rudy Rosales - State Director, Texas LULAC. “We will continue to be vigilant during this election to ensure that Hispanic voters are not disenfranchised in any way. Our community will vote like never before and that is at the very core of our mission which we will defend vigorously,” 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/