NALEO URGES SUPPORT FOR BI-PARTISAN BILL TO RENEW AND RESTORE
THE VOTING RIGHTS ACT Of 1965
Calls and letters to Congressional representatives are needed as legislation is on “fast track” in Congress 

BACKGROUND: 

On May 2, 2006, a bi-partisan group of U.S. Senators and Representatives introduced the “The Fannie Lou Hamer, Rosa Parks, and Coretta Scott King Voting Rights Act Reauthorization and Amendments Act of 2006” (“VRARA”), legislation which will renew and restore our nation’s landmark civil rights legislation, the Voting Rights Act of 1965.  For 40 years, the Voting Rights Act has served as a powerful tool to combat electoral discrimination against Latinos and other ethnic and racial minorities, but key provisions of the Act will expire in 2007 unless Congress votes to reauthorize them.  

The Voting Rights Act has helped remove barriers to Latino political progress.  In the two decades since the last major Voting Rights Act reauthorization, there has been significant growth in the number of Latinos elected officials throughout the nation. In 1984, there were 3,128 Latino elected officials – in January 2005, that number had increased by more than 60% to 5,041. Between the Presidential elections of 1984 and 2004, the number of Latino voters more than doubled from 3.1 million to 7.6 million.  Yet despite the progress made by Latinos, we still have a long way to go before we achieve full political participation and representation.

The VRARA renews and restores key provisions of the Voting Rights Act (also known as the “temporary provisions”) that prohibit voting discrimination: Section 5: Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act requires certain states and counties with a history of discrimination against voters to get federal approval before changing their election laws and procedures. For the Latino community, Section 5 has been particularly important in protecting voters in Arizona, Texas, and jurisdictions in California, Florida and New York.  For example, Section 5 was recently used to combat discriminatory electoral changes designed to prevent Latinos from electing a representative to the Seguin, Texas City Council from a majority Latino district.  The VRARA will ensure that Section 5 continues to prevent Seguin and other jurisdictions from engaging in voting discrimination against Latino U.S. citizens.

Sections 4(f)4 and 203: These sections require certain jurisdictions to provide language assistance to Latino and other “language minority” U.S. citizens who are not yet fully proficient in English. The sections help ensure that we do not deny Latinos or any other Americans access to our democracy because they need assistance with navigating the complexities of the voting process. Four hundred twenty-five jurisdictions in the United States are required to provide language assistance to Latino U.S. citizens under the Voting Rights Act, providing an equal opportunity to those citizens to register to vote, learn the details of the elections, and cast ballots that are counted. 

Sections 6 through 9: These sections authorize the federal government to send observers to monitor elections for compliance with the VRA

THE VRARA RENEWS AND STRENGTHENS THE VOTING RIGHTS ACT

The House of Representatives held several hearings on the VRARA, where witnesses presented compelling evidence of continuing electoral discrimination against Latino U.S. citizens and other populations.  Last week, the U.S. Senate started its hearings, and we expect that the testimony will establish a similar record of discrimination.  The VRARA addresses this compelling record by renewing the temporary provisions of the Voting Rights Act for 25 years.  It strengthens the Voting Rights Act by restoring Section 5 to its original congressional intent, which has been undermined by two recent Supreme Court rulings. 

In addition, under Section 203, the Department of Justice uses U.S. Census data to determine when jurisdictions have a sufficient number of Latino U.S. citizens who are not fully proficient in English to require language assistance.  The VRARA requires more frequent determinations of jurisdictions that need to be covered under Section 203.  This will ensure that Section 203 covers jurisdictions with growing Latino populations who need language assistance on a more frequent basis.

ACTION NEEDED: 

The VRARA has the support of a bi-partisan group of U.S. Representatives and Senators, and the legislation is moving quickly through Congress.  H.R. 9, the House version of the bill passed out of the House Judiciary Committee last week, on a vote of 33-1, and the bill could reach the House floor as early as May 17. The U.S. Senate has started to hold hearings on the Senate version of the bill,
S. 2703, and Senate action could occur in late May or early June. Thus, it is important that you contact your federal representatives as soon as possible to urge them to support the VRARA, without amendment.  It is particularly important you emphasize the need to prevent any amendment of the bill.  Advocates are aware that some representatives may attempt to amend the bill on the House floor or in the Senate to weaken its protections. 

• Call your U.S. Representative and urge him or her to support H.R. 9, without amendment.
• Call the co-sponsoring U.S. Senators who are on the Senate Judiciary Committee, and urge them to attend the hearings in the Senate to help us develop the full and complete record we need on S 2703.  You should also emphasize the need for prompt Senate action on the legislation.  We have attached a list of those Senators and their phone numbers.
• Send a letter to your U.S. Senator urging him or her to support S. 2703, without amendment.  You should also either 1) ask your U.S. Senator to co-sponsor the bill; or 2) thank your Senator if he or she is already a co-sponsor.  We have attached a sample letter [click here for Microsoft Word version] that can be adapted for either of these purposes, and we have also attached a list of the Senators who are already co-sponsors.
• Help educate your constituents and community about this issue by placing an opinion editorial in your local newspapers.  We have attached a basic model in both English and Spanish that you can use, but you should feel free to adapt it to your own style [click here for Microsoft Word version of these models].  It will be particularly effective if you can relate personal stories about your experiences or your community’s experiences with voting discrimination, or stories about how language assistance or the Section 5 approval requirement has helped Latino voters in your area.

We hope this information is useful to you, your staff and your constituents.  For further information, please do not hesitate to contact Dr. James Thomas Tucker of the NALEO Educational Fund’s Washington, DC office, 202-546-2536, jtucker@naleo.org, or Ms. Rosalind Gold in our Los Angeles office at 213-747-7606, rgold@naleo.org.

SAMPLE OPINION EDITORIAL

The cry ¡Mañana Votamos! has rallied our community in recent weeks, as hundreds of thousands of Latinos have marched to make their voices heard across the land.  The right to vote is the foundation of our democracy, and Latinos today have a critical opportunity to protect that right, and to ensure that our democracy remains vibrant and responsive to all.

Congress is now considering a bill to renew a landmark civil rights law – the Voting Rights Act of 1965.  The bill is the “Fannie Lou Hamer, Rosa Parks, and Coretta Scott King Voting Rights Act Reauthorization and Amendments Act of 2006” (“VRARA”). For 40 years, the Voting Rights Act has been a powerful tool to combat voting discrimination against Latinos and other groups, but key provisions of the Act will expire in 2007 unless Congress takes action.  

Yet we still have a long way to go.  Although Latinos comprise 8.2% percent of all eligible voters, less than one percent of all elected officials are Latino.  In Congressional hearings, witnesses presented compelling testimony that Latinos still suffer discrimination in the election process. For example, Latino voter registration and turnout rates lag behind those of non-Latino whites by 17.3 percent and 7.9 percent, respectively.  This evidence is a key reason why a bipartisan group of Congressional representatives supports the VRARA, which will extend basic safeguards for another 25 years.

For instance, the VRARA renews Section 203, the language assistance provision, which helps makes voting accessible to Latino U.S. citizens and other “language minorities.”  Under Section 203, counties must provide translated ballots, voter registration forms, and all other important voter materials when a significant number of their Latino U.S. citizens are not yet fully proficient in English.  They must also have bilingual pollworkers and other election officials who can provide assistance in Spanish throughout the registration and voting process. 

This provision is indispensable to ensure the full participation of Latinos in our democracy. Currently, 425 jurisdictions in the United States must offer language assistance to Latino U.S. citizens, and U.S. Census data determines when counties have enough Latino U.S. citizens who need it. The VRARA will make sure that Section 203 covers counties with growing Latino populations on a more frequent basis.

The VRARA strengthens the Voting Rights Act as well. For example, it fully restores the
key Section 5, which requires certain states and counties to gain federal approval before changing their election laws and procedures.  Section 5 has especially protected Latino voters in Arizona, Texas, and jurisdictions in California, Florida and New York. Two recent Supreme Court decisions have weakened Section 5, but the VRARA will restore Section 5 and ensure that it continues to prevent voting discrimination against Latino U.S. citizens.

When Latinos become fully engaged in our political process, our democracy becomes more vital and responsive to all of its citizens.  If we hope to realize the vision of ¡Mañana Votamos!, we must renew the critical provisions of the Voting Rights Act today. Our support of the VRARA will help turn the energy and commitment of the marches into strong voices on Election Day.   

Sin embargo, aún nos queda un largo camino por recorrer.  Aunque los latinos representamos el
8.2 por ciento de todas las personal elegibles para votar, menos del 1% de todos los oficiales electos son latinos.  En las audiencias del Congreso, los testigos presentaron testimonios convincentes de que los latinos aún sufren la discriminación en el proceso electoral.  Por ejemplo, el empadronamiento y participación electoral de los latinos es mas baja que la de los blancos-no latino por el 17.3 y 7.9% respectivamente.  Esta evidencia es un motivo clave por el que un grupo de representantes del Congreso de los dos partidos políticos apoyan la ley VRARA, que extenderá las garantías básicas por otros 25 años.

Por ejemplo, la ley VRARA renueva la Sección 203, la cláusula de asistencia con el idioma, que ayuda a que el voto sea accesible a los ciudadanos estadounidenses latinos y a otras “minorías en cuanto al idioma”. Según lo provisto por la Sección 203, los condados deben proporcionar traducciones de la papeleta de voto, de los formularios de registro de votantes y de todo el material importante relacionado con la votación cuando una cantidad significativa de sus ciudadanos latinos aún no tenga un dominio total del inglés.  También deben contar con trabajadores electorales y demás funcionarios electorales bilingües que puedan proporcionar asistencia en español durante el proceso de registro y de votación. 

Esta disposición es indispensable para garantizar la total participación de los latinos en nuestra democracia. En la actualidad, 425 jurisdicciones de los Estados Unidos deben ofrecer asistencia con el idioma a los ciudadanos estadounidenses latinos; y a través de los datos del Censo de los Estados Unidos se determina cuándo los condados tienen suficiente cantidad de ciudadanos estadounidenses que necesitan esta asistencia.  La ley VRARA asegurará que la Sección 203 cubra con mayor frecuencia los condados que tienen poblaciones latinas en crecimiento.

La ley VRARA también fortalece la Ley de Derecho al Voto.  Por ejemplo, también restaura en su totalidad la Sección 5, que requiere que ciertos estados y condados obtengan aprobación federal antes de cambiar sus leyes y sus procesos electorales.   La Sección 5 ha protegido especialmente a los votantes latinos de Arizona, de Texas y de distintas jurisdicciones de California, Florida y Nueva York.  Dos decisiones recientes de la Suprema Corte han debilitado la Sección 5, pero la ley VRARA restaurará esta Sección y asegurará que se continúe evitando la discriminación electoral contra los ciudadanos estadounidenses latinos.

Cuando los latinos participan plenamente de nuestro proceso político, nuestra democracia se torna más vital y participativa para todos los ciudadanos.  Si esperamos alcanzar la visión de ¡Mañana Votamos!, debemos renovar las disposiciones críticas de la Ley de Derecho al Voto hoy mismo.  Nuestro apoyo a la ley VRARA ayudará a transformar la energía y el compromiso de las marchas en voces poderosas que se alzarán el Día de las Elecciones.