LULAC Urges Supreme Court to Protect Latino Voter Representation

December 8, 2015

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the Supreme Court will hear arguments in Evenwel v. Abbott, a case that challenges the current practice of using census population data when drawing congressional districts. The effect of such an approach would exclude significant segments of the Latino population, and as a result, would likely diminish Latino political representation.

In response, LULAC National President Roger C. Rocha Jr. issued the following statement:

“The case of Evenwel v. Abbott is extremely important to Latino communities across the country. The U.S. Constitution requires congressional districts to be allocated based on census population data, ensuring that everyone is counted. Rejecting this constitutionally mandated approach in favor of one that only counts voter population would result in significantly fewer Latinos being counted. The impact of such an approach is clear: there would be a serious reduction in valuable resources to high-need communities and less Latino political representation. We call upon the Supreme Court to maintain the present system which is both constitutional and fundamentally fair.”

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 1000 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 www.LULAC.org.