RECENT FLORIDA AND ARIZONA CHALLENGES TO LONG-STANDING VOTING RIGHTS ACT PROVIDE ADDITIONAL AREAS OF CONCERN FOR LATINO VOTE

The States of Florida and Arizona have filed challenges to the Voting Rights Act (VRA) in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. Section 5 of the VRA, described by the Supreme Court as “remed(ying) aimed at areas where voting discrimination has been most flagrant,” helps protect the right to vote in places where, historically, this right has been most threatened. The VRA provides for federal oversight of any changes to rules and procedures affecting voting, including redistricting maps, in specified jurisdictions.

MALDEF Calls on Community Leaders, Parents to Advocate for Equity in Implementation of Common Core State Standards

An important initiative is catching on nationwide to assure that public schools everywhere provide education on the same set of core skills and knowledge. Still, there remains much work to be done in ensuring that implementation of common core state standards is completed in the best way to serve all students. As state budgets for education face serious challenges in virtually every state, public school parents, community leaders and education advocates must be involved and stay informed in order to ensure that implementation achieves this goal.