Voting Rights

LOS ANGELES, CA – MALDEF and the California League of United Latin American Citizens (“CA LULAC”) today sent a letter to Anaheim, California Mayor Tom Tait warning that delaying the election in the only district designed to provide a voting rights remedy to Latino voters puts the city at risk for liability under the federal Voting Rights Act and the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

SAN ANTONIO, TX – Yesterday, on the eve of the 50th anniversary of the federal Voting Rights Act, MALDEF—which litigated against Texas Voter ID in the preclearance phase—congratulated the plaintiffs and welcomed the Fifth Circuit ruling that the Texas voter ID law disproportionately impacts Hispanic and African-American voters, violating Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act (VRA).

FULLERTON, CA – MALDEF today sent a letter to Fullerton Joint Union High School District, demanding that it change its at-large elections system to a district-based system that affords Latino voters an equal opportunity to elect candidates of their choice to the Fullerton Joint Union High School Board, in accordance with the California Voting Rights Act of 2001 (“CVRA”). The District currently elects its Board of Trustees using an at-large method that has denied Latino residents the opportunity to elect candidates of their choice. MALDEF demands the system be changed to a district-based system.

SAN DIEGO, CA – Today, MALDEF filed suit against Fallbrook Public Utility District, in San Diego Superior Court, for violating the California Voting Rights Act (CVRA). The District uses an at-large method to elect its Board Members, and as a result there has been no Latino representation on the Board for decades. MALDEF filed the suit on behalf of Fallbrook registered voters who seek a court order that will block future at-large elections in the District, and require the District to design and implement a by-district election method that would provide voter equity.

GARDEN GROVE, CA – Today, MALDEF sent a letter to the City Manager and City Attorney for the City of Garden Grove, demanding that the system for electing city council members be changed to comply with the California Voting Rights Act (CVRA). Garden Grove currently elects city council members using an at-large method that has denied Latino residents the opportunity to elect candidates of their choice. MALDEF demands the system be changed to a district-based system.

FALLBROOK, CA – This week, MALDEF sent a letter to several Fallbrook Public Utility District Board Members, demanding that the system for electing board members be changed to comply with the California Voting Rights Act. Fallbrook PUD currently elects board members using an at-large method that has denied Latino residents the opportunity to elect candidates of their choice. MALDEF demands the system be changed to a district-based system.

BELLFLOWER, CA – Today, the City of Bellflower voted to place on the November 2016 ballot an ordinance that would change the at-large election system to a by-district system for each of the seats on its City Council. The council supports the measure as the most appropriate course of action to ensure optimal geographic representation on the council, and to ensure that all city residents are able to elect candidates of their choice.

HOUSTON, TX – Today, MALDEF filed suit against the City of Pasadena, Texas, challenging the city’s new voting system, which was adopted last November in a close election. The measure eliminated two of Pasadena’s eight single-member voting districts and replaced them with two at-large seats. The lawsuit, filed by Latino voters in Pasadena, argues that the new system is unconstitutional and violates the federal Voting Rights Act by diluting Latino voting strength.

DENVER, CO – Today, the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit reversed a decision by the federal district court in Kansas, which ordered the federal government to add onerous voter registration requirements to the federal voter registration form. Today’s court of appeals decision concluded that Kansas and Arizona, which had sued to force the federal government to incorporate citizenship documentation requirements on the federal voter registration form, had failed to prove that the current voter registration requirements were inadequate and that non-citizens had registered to vote using the federal form.

BELLFLOWER, CA – Today, MALDEF, together with the law firm of Goldstein, Borgen, Dardarian & Ho, and the Law Offices of Robert Rubin, filed suit against the City of Bellflower for violating the California Voting Rights Act of 2001 (“CVRA”). The City uses an at-large method to elect its Council Members, which has denied Latino and African American residents the opportunity to elect Council Members of their choice.

MERCED, CA – Late last night, the City of Merced voted to place on the November ballot an ordinance that would change the at-large election system to a by-district system for each of the six seats on the Merced City Council. The council supports the measure as the most appropriate course of action to ensure optimal geographic representation on the council, and to ensure that all city residents are able to elect candidates of their choice.

LOS ANGELES, CA – Judge James Rigali of the California Superior Court for the County of Santa Barbara has scheduled a June 17, 2014 hearing in Putney v. Garietz. Putney is a case in which MALDEF seeks to compel the Clerk of City of Santa Maria to accept a petition to place a critical voting measure on the November general election ballot. MALDEF represents Hazel Putney, the lead proponent of the initiative and a representative of Central Coast Alliance United for a Sustainable Economy (CAUSE). The proposed measure would change Santa Maria’s City Council election system from an at-large system to a single-member district system. Rhonda Garietz, Chief Deputy City Clerk of the City of Santa Maria, rejected the petition, alleging that the form of the petition deviated from the Elections Code.

DENVER, CO – The United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit has granted MALDEF’s request for a stay of a recent court order that disrupts the national system of registering voters in federal elections. In March, a federal district court in Kansas ordered the U.S. Election Assistance Commission to make changes to the federal mail voter registration form in order to require voter registrants in Kansas and Arizona to provide additional paperwork, unavailable to numerous eligible applicants, to prove their U.S. citizenship. MALDEF and other counsel representing intervenors appealed the decision because it runs contrary to federal law and to the result in Arizona v. ITCA, a case MALDEF won last June, in which the U.S. Supreme Court held, by a 7-2 vote, that state-voting laws must yield to the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) of 1993.

DENVER, CO – MALDEF has appealed a recent court order that disrupts the national system of registering voters in federal elections. In the case, a federal district court in Kansas ordered the U.S. Election Assistance Commission to make changes to the federal mail voter registration form in order to require voter registrants in Kansas and Arizona to provide additional, burdensome paperwork to prove their U.S. citizenship. The decision runs contrary to the result in Arizona v. ITCA, a case won last June by MALDEF, in which the U.S. Supreme Court held, by a 7-2 vote, that state-voting laws must yield to the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) of 1993.

LOS ANGELES, CA – The Val Verde Unified School District (Val Verde USD) Board of Education voted unanimously last night to move from an at-large to a district-based election system for Board of Education elections.