FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Rafael Benavides, media@mifamiliavota.org

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Hector Sanchez Barba, President and CEO of Mi Familia Vota, issued the following statement in response to the Supreme Court’s decision today to hear arguments in RNC v. Mi Familia Vota, dealing with Arizona laws that disenfranchise eligible voters and require proof of citizenship for those registering to vote:

“For generations, Latinos and other historically disenfranchised communities have fought to expand participation in our democracy despite repeated attempts to silence our voices. Every era has brought new barriers from poll taxes and literacy tests to racial gerrymandering, restrictive voting laws, and now proof-of-citizenship schemes designed to justify voter purges.

“This case is not about election security. It is about political power and who gets to participate in our democracy, and who gets to be pushed out of it by politicians. Under the false pretense of combating noncitizen voting, despite overwhelming evidence that it is exceedingly rare, the Trump administration and its MAGA allies are advancing one of the most aggressive voter suppression efforts in modern history. Their goal is to create fear, confusion, and bureaucratic barriers that disproportionately impact Latino, immigrant, young, and working-class voters.

“Much like with its mass deportation agenda, the Department of Justice is asking for something unprecedented: the power to remove voters from the rolls based solely on suspicion that they are not citizens. Never before has the federal government claimed such authority over our elections, threatening the longstanding balance between state and federal responsibilities.

“We have already seen eligible citizens wrongly removed from voter rolls and forced through burdensome bureaucratic hurdles to restore their voting rights. That is not election integrity – it’s disenfranchisement.

“Mi Familia Vota and our partners in this case will continue fighting this assault on our democracy in court, at the ballot box, and in communities across the country. We are confident the law is on our side, and we will continue organizing, educating, and mobilizing voters to ensure every eligible American can cast a ballot free from intimidation, discrimination, or political interference. Our democracy is strongest when every eligible voter can participate, not when politicians change the rules because they fear the voters.”

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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.