Voting Rights

Testimony of Thomas A. Saenz President and General Counsel, MALDEF Before the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties of the House Committee on the Judiciary

Sep 24, 2020 | , ,

Good morning. My name is Thomas A. Saenz, and I am president and general counsel of MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund), which has, for over 52 years now, worked to promote the civil rights of all Latinos living in the United States. MALDEF is headquartered in Los Angeles, with regional offices in Chicago; San Antonio, where we were founded; and Washington, D.C.  I appear before you remotely today from the city of Los Angeles.

MALDEF STATEMENT ON THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE CHICANO MORATORIUM

Aug 30, 2020 | , , , ,

LOS ANGELES – Fifty years ago, thousands of peaceful protesters took to the streets of East Los Angeles to draw attention to the disproportionately high number of Mexican Americans drafted and killed in the Vietnam War and the fight for Latino civil rights. The rally turned violent after police arrived. Those killed included journalist Ruben Salazar, who was covering the struggles facing the Latino community across the Southwest.

MALDEF STATEMENT ON WOMEN’S EQUALITY DAY AND 100th ANNIVERSARY OF THE 19th AMENDMENT

Aug 27, 2020 | , ,

LOS ANGELES, CA – On Women’s Equality Day, the nation commemorates the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution granting women the right to vote. However, when the amendment was ratified 100 years ago, the same barriers – Jim Crow laws, English-only ballots, poll taxes, voter ID laws — that kept men of color from voting also applied to Latinas and Black women. It wasn’t until 1965 with the signing of the Voting Rights Act that prohibits voting discrimination based on race, color and national origin that Latinas and Black women began to experience real access to the ballot. In 1975, the VRA was extended to include protections for language-minorities, further protecting the right to vote for Latinas.

MALDEF TESTIFIES BEFORE CONGRESS ON STRENGTHENING VOTING RIGHTS PROTECTIONS

Oct 18, 2019 | , , ,

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Representatives of leading civil rights organizations testified in two U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee hearings yesterday about the need to expand and strengthen the federal Voting Rights Act (VRA) and to address other elections-related concerns. MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund) President and General Counsel Thomas A. Saenz was among those testifying.

Districting Plan Proposed by School District in San Diego County Perpetuates Voting Rights Violations, MALDEF Warns

Feb 4, 2019 | , , ,

LOS ANGELES – A districting plan under consideration by an elementary school district in northern San Diego County must be rejected because it does not ensure Latinos a sufficient opportunity to elect candidates of their choice in the next election, MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund) warned in a letter sent to district officials today.

MALDEF STATEMENT ON PASSING OF ESTEEMED LATINO CIVIL RIGHTS ADVOCATE AND DEMOGRAPHY EXPERT LEO ESTRADA

Nov 7, 2018 | , ,

LOS ANGELES – Leo Estrada, associate professor emeritus of urban planning at UCLA and a fierce advocate for voting rights, civil rights, and political representation for Latinos, died on Nov. 3 after a lengthy illness. Please attribute the following statement on Professor Estrada’s passing to Thomas A. Saenz, president and general counsel of MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund):