LULAC Applauds Appeals Court Decision Striking Down Discriminatory Texas Voter ID Law

August 5, 2015

Washington, D.C. – Today, LULAC celebrates a historic victory for voting rights for minority communities across the state of Texas. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the district court ruling that the Texas Voter Identification Law was in direct violation of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The decision today sends a strong message across Texas and the rest of the country that the right to vote cannot be infringed upon by the actions of state legislatures looking to suppress the influence of minority communities. This decision is particularly meaningful as it comes on the eve of the 50th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act (VRA) and highlights the need for Congress to restore the crucial protections of the VRA that were lost in the Supreme Court’s destructive Shelby County v. Holder decision that gutted the landmark civil rights law.

“I am proud of the role LULAC played in helping to fight the law from the beginning, joining other civil rights organizations in emphasizing the law’s detrimental effects on minority voting power,” said LULAC National President Roger C. Rocha, Jr. “Our right to vote is under attack, and decisions like these illustrate that voter protections are absolutely necessary to combat discriminatory voting practices.”

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 www.lulac.org.