Voto Latino Files Lawsuit Calling for Injunction Against Voter Suppression Legislation S.B. 747 in North Carolina
Washington, DC – In response to the North Carolina General Assembly overriding Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto of Senate Bill 747 (S.B. 747), Voto Latino today filed a lawsuit alongside additional plaintiffs for immediate relief to stop S.B. 747 from taking effect.
S.B. 747 is an unconstitutional voter suppression bill that puts same-day registrants at risk of disenfranchisement if a single piece of official mail is returned to county boards of elections as undeliverable—without any notice to the voter or opportunity to be heard.
Announcing the lawsuit, Voto Latino Founding President and CEO María Teresa Kumar said, “S.B. 747’s undeliverable mail provision disenfranchises North Carolina voters and is part of a broad, coordinated attack on our democracy. We’re proud to join this lawsuit to fight against a provision that exists solely to make it harder for North Carolinians to cast their vote.”
Represented by Elias Law Group, Voto Latino joins The Watauga County Voting Rights Task Force, Down Home North Carolina, Sophie Jae Mead, and Christina Barrow to seek an injunction against S.B. 747.
“In the two most recent general elections, tens of thousands of North Carolinians have taken advantage of same-day voter registration to exercise their right to vote,” said Elias Law Group Partner Aria Branch. “Same-day registration has been disproportionately used by Black, Latinx, and young North Carolinians, groups that have historically been excluded from the electoral process. Senate Bill 747 is an unwarranted and egregious attack on the same-day registration process. The law threatens to disenfranchise thousands of eligible voters across North Carolina without due process, often due to mistakes over which a voter may have no control whatsoever. We are proud to represent Voto Latino, the Watauga County Voting Rights Task Force, Down Home North Carolina, and North Carolina voters to challenge this unconstitutional law and protect the rights of North Carolina voters.”
You can read the case filing in its entirety here.
# # #
Voto Latino is a grassroots civic engagement organization focused on educating and empowering a new generation of Latinx voters, as well as creating a more robust and inclusive democracy. Through innovative digital campaigns, culturally relevant programs and authentic voices, we shepherd the Latinx community towards the full realization of its political power.