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Voting Rights Project

UCLA Voting Rights Project Win: Federal Judge Rules Galveston County Discriminated Against Black and Latino Voters

On October 13, 2023, a federal judge found that Galveston County’s 2021 redistricting plan diluted the voting strength of Black and Latino voters, violating Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Alberto Lammers
alammers@luskin.ucla.edu

 

Galveston, Texas – Today, a federal judge found that Galveston County’s 2021 redistricting plan diluted the voting strength of Black and Latino voters, violating Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. 

The UCLA Voting Rights Project (UCLA VRP), along with co-counsels Neil G. Baron and the Campaign Legal Center, representing three Galveston residents, the Honorable Terry Petteway, Honorable Penny Pope and Honorable Derrick Rose, filed the challenge to Galveston County’s 2021 redistricting plans claiming that they were racially discriminatory in intent and impact. The U.S. Department of Justice and local chapters of NAACP and LULAC filed parallel litigation, which was consolidated into the current case. This suit followed a prior lawsuit filed in 2013 by Petteway, Pope and Rose challenging Galveston County’s Justice of the Peace and Constable districts.

Read the Court Order here and the Findings of Facts here.

“Today’s decision recognizes and rectifies the discrimination and dilution of the voting strength of Black and Latino voters in Galveston County,” said Chad Dunn, Legal Director of UCLA VRP. “The court’s ruling underscores the fundamental principle that every citizen, regardless of race or background, deserves an equal opportunity to elect candidates of their choice in countywide offices. The decision also reaffirms the enduring power and relevance of the Voting Rights Act. It serves as a reminder that attempts to undermine the voices of minority communities, as witnessed in the 2021 redistricting in the county, will not go unchallenged or unnoticed.

Bernadette Reyes, counsel in the case and voting right counsel at UCLA VRP, added, “The implications of this decision extend beyond the borders of Galveston County. The ruling sends a clear message to jurisdictions nationwide: Redistricting efforts that marginalize minority communities, whether out of malice or negligence, violate the fundamental pillars of our democracy and will not be tolerated. UCLA VRP remains committed to ensuring that the letter of this ruling is fully implemented until Galveston County’s redistricting reflects the rich diversity and strength of its communities.”

UCLA Voting Rights Project is an advocacy project housed within the UCLA Latino Policy and Politics Institute.

 

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ABOUT THE UCLA VOTING RIGHTS PROJECT

The UCLA Voting Rights Project is the marquee advocacy project of the UCLA Latino Policy and Politics Institute at the University of California, Los Angeles and is focused on voting rights litigation, research, policy, and training. The UCLA Voting Rights Project addresses monumental and overlooked gaps in the field of voting rights: how to train young lawyers and researchers, support the development of new legal and methodological theories for voting rights cases, and how to advance policy work to ensure that there is a new generation of leaders who are pursuing efforts to guarantee all citizens have equal and fair access to our democracy. The project was founded by Chad W. Dunn, J.D., and Matt Barreto, Ph.D. The UCLA Voting Rights Project is located within the Luskin School of Public Affairs.

To learn more about the UCLA Voting Rights Project, please visit: 44.245.141.20/votingrights