LULAC Asks Attorney General To Investigate Voter Intimidation Incidents Nationwide
Voters should not be afraid to go to the polls this midterm election season.
For more information contact: Lizette Jenness Olmos, (202) 365-4553 mobile
Washington, DC – The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) in conjunction with 21 other Latino and Asian American organizations submitted a letter Tuesday (see below) requesting that the U.S. Attorney General conduct a federal investigation into the most recent scare tactics being used to intimidate voters in Orange County, California. LULAC is seeking an investigation into widespread reports of voter intimidation across the country. The FBI has already begun an investigation into the matter and state Attorney General Bill Lockyer has been urged by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to prosecute those responsible to the fullest extent of the law. The letter disseminated by the California Coalition for Immigration Reform targeted immigrant voters with Latino surnames warning them that it is a crime for immigrants to vote in the elections.
“This letter is clearly aimed at keeping eligible Latinos from exercising their right to vote in this country. It is a violation of the Voting Rights Act and the California Elections Code and we will not stand for it,” said National LULAC President Rosa Rosales. “They have violated the law in an attempt to intimidate voters. LULAC will fight to preserve everyone’s right to vote. Our attorneys are ready to take action against voter intimidation wherever it may occur.”
“The entire Southwest including portions of California has a history of voter intimidation by those who use fear, hatred and physical attacks to stop people from voting. State and federal law prohibit this kind of activity,” said National LULAC General Counsel Luis Vera.
This type of voter intimidation tactic is not new to Southern California or Barbara Coe and the California Coalition for Immigration Reform. The same letters circulated are similar to the ones sent out in 1990.
The League of United Latin American Citizens, the oldest and largest Latino membership organization in the country, advances the economic conditions, educational attainment, political influence, health and civil rights of Hispanic Americans through community-based programs operating at more than 700 LULAC councils nationwide.