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Los Angeles, CA—Today, President George W. Bush signed into law legislation that will extend important safeguards for all Americans’ right to vote into the next quarter of a century. The Fannie Lou Hamer, Rosa Parks, and Coretta Scott King Voting Rights Act Reauthorization and Amendments Act of 2006 (the “VRARA”) renews and restores key provisions of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, one of the most powerful pieces of civil rights legislation ever enacted by Congress.

National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) President John Bueno stated, “Latinos are at a critical point in our journey to becoming full participants in our nation’s democracy. We have made significant progress – more Latinos than ever are making their voices heard on Election Day, and more than 6,000 Latinos are elected and appointed public servants nationwide. But obstacles to our progress still remain.  We commend President Bush for recognizing the continued need to combat unfair voting discrimination by approving a strong bill that will help remove those obstacles in the future.”

The VRARA, which passed both the U.S. House and Senate with bi-partisan support, renews several important provisions of the Voting Rights Act for 25 years. These provisions include Section 203, which ensures that Latinos and other language minority U.S. citizens obtain the language assistance needed for equal access to voting. The VRARA also renews and strengthens Section 5, which prevents discriminatory election procedures by requiring certain states and counties to obtain federal approval before instituting changes in election practices. The VRARA restores Section 5 to the original Congressional intent by correcting recent misinterpretations by the U.S. Supreme Court. By doing so, the bill makes it clear that Section 5 prohibits intentionally discriminatory voting practices and changes preventing minority voters from electing their chosen candidates.

Rosalind Gold, NALEO Senior Director of Policy, Research and Advocacy noted, “By signing the VRARA, the President has made a commitment to restoring and revitalizing the protections of the Voting Rights Act. We now urge the President and the Department of the Justice (DOJ) to fulfill that commitment by vigorously enforcing the Act’s provisions. Latino community leaders have used the Act to pursue the dream of full and fair representation in the political process for all of our nation’s citizens.  We will not be able to realize that dream unless there is strong and effective enforcement of the Act.”  

Ms. Gold concluded, “The swift enactment of the VRARA is a victory that comes with an important responsibility.  Forty years ago, the leaders who worked to make the Voting Rights Act a reality left our nation with an invaluable legacy – we must build upon their work to protect the right to vote for future generations and the future of our democracy.” 

About NALEO

NALEO is a non-partisan membership organization whose constituency includes the nation’s more than 6,000 elected and appointed officials.