Home > Press Room > 2006 > Press Release

Press Release

LULAC Congratulates the United States Senate for the Historic Reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act .

July 20, 2006

Contact: Lizette Jenness Olmos,
(202) 833-6130 ext.14
ljolmos@lulac.org
 

Washington, DC – The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) joined forces with its allies from the civil rights community in working towards reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act and applauded the United States Senate today for its unanimous passage of S. 2703, the Fannie Lou Hamer, Rosa Parks, Coretta Scott King and Cesar Chavez Voting Rights Reauthorization Amendments Act of 2006. The vote was passed by an overwhelming number of Senators 98-0 and shows the commitment by both parties to voting rights for minorities.

“We applaud the Senate for moving the legislation forward with all its provisions intact,” said LULAC National President Rosa Rosales. “This historic vote opens the doors of opportunity to all who may have been disenfranchised in the past. We praise members on both sides of the aisle for working in a bipartisan manner on this issue.”

LULAC has been working with its allies on voting rights and the decision by the U.S. Supreme Court in the LULAC vs. Perry Texas Redistricting Case vindicated LULAC’s position that the plan drawn up by the Texas legislature eroded minority voting strength in Texas and was therefore illegal and unconstitutional. LULAC has demanded immediate relief based upon the Supreme Court’s findings and called upon the lower court to adopt a plan that is fair for all Texans.

“Our victory in this case underscored the strong need for the reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act. The foundation of our Democracy is based upon the right of all citizens to equal participation in the voting process,” said LULAC National President Rosa Rosales.

Congress reauthorized Sections 5 and 203 for an additional 25 years. Section 203 requires providing language assistance in elections to those voters who need it. Section 5 requires jurisdictions with a history of voting discrimination to submit election changes for approval by the Department of Justice to make sure that changes do not discriminate voters.

President Bush reaffirmed his commitment to the VRA today in a speech to the NAACP and vowed to sign the legislation into law. The House of Representatives passed the legislation last week with a vote of 390 to 33.

The VRA remains the most effective civil rights legislation ever passed. Since 1965, the VRA has enabled millions of African American, Latino, Asian American and Native American citizens who were previously denied access to the polls to fully participate in the political process and elect candidates of their choice.

The League of United Latin American Citizens is the oldest and largest Latino civil rights organization in the United States. It 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.

###