The lawsuit filed by the League of United Latin American Citizens alleges the use of at-large districts — where all voters across the city can vote for the candidates, instead of voters within a specific district — violates the Voting Rights Act.
Elizabeth Conley / Houston Chronicle via AP fileThe nation’s oldest Latino civil rights organization accused the city of Houston in a federal lawsuit of denying Latinos fair representation by allowing voters citywide to elect five council members.
"Houston's the only major city in Texas where five council members are elected at large and in essence, disenfranchising the Latino community," Domingo Garcia, LULAC president, said in a phone interview."All the other major cities, Austin, El Paso, Fort Worth, Dallas, have all single member districts and have Latino representation that's reflective of their diversity.
The lawsuit notes that in 1979, Houston’s City Council went from almost all white male to a more diverse body after voters elected the first two women and first Mexican American to the council and tripled the number of Black council members.
Singapore Latest News, Singapore Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
LULAC files lawsuit against city of Houston, seeking to eliminate City Council At-Large positionsThe group says it wants Houston to eliminate at-large positions in city council and make new, all single-member districts.
Read more »
LULAC to announce lawsuit Monday against Houston City Council due to lack of Hispanic representationLULAC is challenging the at-large system in Houston's city council saying the seats deny Latinos a fair shot at increasing representation.
Read more »
Hispanic civil rights group sues the city of Houston over Latino representationLULAC sues Houston, challenging 'gross underrepresentation' of Latinos at City Council
Read more »
Dismantling the 'Latino Republican Voter’ Myth—With Voto Latino's María Teresa KumarIn the last several years, a popular narrative has emerged: The rise of right-wing extremism has been fueled by a surge in Latino support. María Teresa Kumar, head of Voto Latino, says this is simply untrue. Ms. spoke to Kumar to try to understand the proliferation of the ‘Latino Republican voter’ myth. As the head of an organization focusing almost exclusively on engaging young Latino youth in the U.S. political process, she helped me make sense of the election aftermath, the messages she thinks Latino voters sent through the way they voted, and why it’s time for progressives to double-down
Read more »
Southeast Houston shopping center catches fire, three stores damagedA shopping center caught fire on Saturday causing three stores to sustain damage in southeast Houston.
Read more »
HEARTBREAKING: Houston-area baby dies after hospital gave her wrong IV fluidThe family of 8-month-old Milagro Torres continues to fight for answers on what went wrong leading up to her tragic death.
Read more »