New Voto Latino Victory: Court Strikes Down Key Texas Voter Suppression Provision

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
September 30, 2024
Contact: Diana Castaneda
VP of Communications
[email protected]

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Voto Latino, the leading civic engagement organization focused on educating and empowering a new generation of Latino voters, today applauded U.S. District Judge Xavier Rodriguez for agreeing with Voto Latino and striking down a major element of Texas Senate Bill 1, the state’s 2021 voter suppression omnibus legislation.

Voto Latino joined with other organizations as plaintiffs to oppose the law, and this recent success means Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton can no longer conduct raids on the homes of voting rights activists while claiming to be investigating “vote harvesting.” Judge Rodriguez ruled that SB1’s restrictions on assisting voters who need help completing or returning their ballots violated both the First and 14th Amendments of the Constitution.

In response to the federal court’s finding, Voto Latino Co-Founder and President María Teresa Kumar released the following statement:

“Our success against the clearly unconstitutional SB1 is an important victory for the people of Texas – who are facing one of the most significant voter suppression regimes in the country,” said Voto Latino Co-Founder and President María Teresa Kumar. “Voting is the backbone of our democracy and the most effective way of having a say in our nation’s future. And that’s why Republicans are working so hard to suppress the vote for communities of color, low-income voters, young voters, and other marginalized groups. We must not allow un-American extremists to restrict voters’ ability to cast a ballot.”

“We are eagerly awaiting the rest of the court’s findings on SB1, and will continue to fight for voting rights in Texas and across the country.” 

This success for Voto Latino’s legal efforts to protect voting rights follows the organization’s victory earlier this year when an Arizona Superior Court dismissed a lawsuit filed by the Republican National Committee and others seeking to invalidate the state’s current Elections Procedure Manual.

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Voto Latino is a grassroots political organization focused on educating and empowering a new generation of Latino voters, as well as creating a more robust and inclusive democracy. Since its founding, Voto Latino has registered over 1.5 million voters, mobilized tens of thousands of voters in the 2022 midterms, helping to defeat the so-called “red wave” and keep the Senate majority-Democrat. Voto Latino has also filed several lawsuits to defend voting rights in Texas, Arizona, and North Carolina ahead of the 2024 election.