The true meaning of one person, one vote will be put to the test on Tuesday when the U.S. Supreme Court hears oral arguments from a Texas case to determine whether states should divide their electoral districts according to the total population of that district, including those not yet old enough to vote or those […]
Texas Redistricting Discriminates Against Latinos, Federal Judges Rule
August 30, 2012 By
Texas statewide redistricting plans were overturned Tuesday by federal district court judges in Washington D.C., providing credence to the charge that the plans discriminates against Latino voters. The state was seeking preclearance under section 5 of the Voting Rights Act. This section requires lawmakers to get approval from the federal government before enacting laws based on the state’s […]
Guest Blogger Series: Arturo Vargas “Latinos and Voting Rights: The Legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr.”
January 20, 2012 By
“Give us the ballot”. Those were the words uttered by Martin Luther King Jr. in his first address on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on May 17, 1957. Years later, King’s legacy lives on, both through the lives of those he touched and the many changes he helped to institute in our nation’s history. […]
Guest Blogger Series: Gus K. West “Guarding Latino Voting Rights – Rally for Fair Texas Re-Districting”
January 6, 2012 By
Across the country states have been addressing their re-districting needs in recent months, redrawing voting maps that will fairly reflect new Census statistics from the 2010 Census. The latest figures showed that the population in Texas grew by 4 million people, giving the state 4 new congressional seats. The plan drafted by the three-judge panel […]
Supreme Court Decision to Weigh In on Texas Redistricting Battle Will Impact Latino Voters
December 13, 2011 By
The Supreme Court’s decision late last week to halt the recently announced Texas election maps proposed by a three-judge panel in San Antonio is raising concerns over the impact it could have on the rights of Latino voters in the state. The action is the most recent in the redistricting battle in Texas that started […]
Texas Latinos Reshuffle in Congressional Race
November 28, 2011 By
The announcement today from San Antonio Congressman Charlie Gonzalez that he will retire when his term expires has reconfigured the cast of candidates looking to get to Congress in 2012. Now, Joaquin Castro is set to run in Gonzalez’s seat, district 20, paving the way for former Congressman Ciro Rodriguez to run in the newly created […]
Texas Redistricting Maps Boost Latino Seats
November 21, 2011 By
The three-judge panel in Washington released its interim map proposals for the state house and senate today. The maps can be found here. The senate map is Plan S163. The house map is Plan H298 (Judge Smith also has a dissenting state house proposal, which is H299). The parties have been asked to submit any […]
Texas Argues for Court to Approve Controversial New Election Map
November 4, 2011 By
The state of Texas and the U.S. Justice Department presented arguments to a federal court on Wednesday regarding the state’s controversial proposed election maps which could potentially lower the chances of Latinos to choose candidates of their choice in several districts. The three-judge panel’s decision will have tremendous impact: Texas stands to win four new […]
California Redistricting Maps draw Sharp Criticism from Latino Leaders
June 21, 2011 By
Newly drawn maps for congressional districts in California are being criticized for not adequately representing Latinos, with one prominent Latino leader calling them the “worse-case scenario for Latinos in California.” Just a little over a week ago, the Citizens Redistricting Commission, a 14-member panel of citizens appointed by the state and charged with redrawing voting […]
Latino Group says Redistricting Plan in Illinois violates Election Laws
May 25, 2011 By
A new map of legislative boundaries in Illinois drawn up by legislators violates the rights of Latino voters, according to a Latino legal rights group. The Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, a non-profit that works to protect the legal rights of Latinos, says the plan denies Latino voters from Chicago’s South Side their […]
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