FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PRESS CONTACT: Jessica Ortiz, Jessicao@mifamiliavota.org

A persistent assault on the Voting Rights Act in recent years has systematically weakened this vital law, now  a recent case threatens to block lawsuits when rights are violated

WASHINGTON, DC – The Voting Rights Act (VRA) was signed into law on August 6, 1965 by President Lyndon Johnson, accompanied by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., to prohibit racial discrimination in voting. In the six decades since, it has been further expanded to ensure enforcement of the voting rights granted under the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution such that no state or local government could impose any rule that denies or limits the right to vote of any citizen based on race or color or membership in a language minority group. For years, opponents have waged a persistent assault on the VRA, and a 2013 Supreme Court decision ended a longstanding requirement that states or localities with a history of discrimination in voting seek and secure federal approval for any changes in the way elections are held. False claims of rigged elections in recent years have also been used to push through stricter laws, and more recent legal challenges threaten to deny civil rights organizations and individuals the ability to file challenges when voting rights are violated, claiming that they do not have standing because they are not named in the law. That would mean that only the U.S. Department of Justice could bring such lawsuits.

Hector Sanchez Barba, President and CEO of Mi Familia Vota, issued the following statement:

"The Voting Rights Act has been the most important and consequential civil rights law in America’s history, and it is as relevant as ever as efforts are underway to dilute and suppress the voices of minority voters. Since 2013, voting rights have increasingly varied based on where someone lives, and today we are bearing witness to a vulgar and aggressive effort to redraw districts in Texas in a way that would carve minority voters into districts where their voices would be suppressed.The Supreme Court has an important decision to make soon on a North Dakota redistricting case that will determine whether the very voters most affected by those kinds of actions are able to secure relief through the courts, or are further quieted and relegated to irrelevance in our democracy. The Department of Justice under this Administration is already showing it cannot be trusted to bring forth cases that would advocate for or defend the rights of minority voters. The Supreme Court must leave the doors of justice open for every American, regardless of race, partisan affiliation, or place of residence.

The concerted effort to discriminate, to minimize, to marginalize, and to suppress the voices of diverse communities is as emboldened today as in the darkest days of our democratic republic. Mi Familia Vota is fighting for a future where Latino voices shape and advance policies that promote the health, safety, and prosperity of diverse communities across the country. On this, the 60th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act, we recommit to working relentlessly to inform voters, educate elected and appointed officials, and stand up to any effort to claw back those hard-won rights, and to honor the memory of those who put their blood, sweat, and tears into the peaceful resistance that made those laws a reality. We renew and reiterate our strong support for the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act (VRAA), which was reintroduced recently in Congress to restore and strengthen critical protections against racial discrimination of voters. Mi Familia Vota runs organizing operations year round in states across the country, and today, in every single one of them we will highlight this important anniversary."

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About Mi Familia Vota - Mi Familia Vota’s mission is to mobilize Latino power, through year-round activation of the electorate, and investment in local infrastructure, to advance our community’s policy priorities. Mi Familia Vota is fighting for a future where Latino voices shape and advance policies that promote the health, safety, and prosperity of Latino communities across the country.