FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Alberto Lammers
alammers@luskin.ucla.edu
UCLA Voting Rights Project Files Lawsuit Challenging At-Large Election System in Hazleton Area School District to Ensure Latino Representation
Hazleton, Pa. (February 5, 2024) – Today, the UCLA Voting Rights Project (UCLA VRP) filed a landmark lawsuit on behalf of Aleida Aquino and Brendalis Lopez, represented by the UCLA VRP, Myers, Brier & Kelly, LLP, Winebrake & Santillo, LLC, and Frederick P. Rooney. The lawsuit, filed in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, seeks to overturn an at-large election system for the Hazleton Area School Board (HASB) that dilutes the voting strength of the district’s sizable Latino population.
“We must ensure that our elections reflect the diversity of the community within the Hazleton Area School District,” said Bernadette Reyes, voting rights counsel at the UCLA VRP. “The District’s at-large system unjustly dilutes the Latino community’s electoral influence, ignoring their significant presence in the student body and the community. Our lawsuit aims not just to challenge this inequity but to foster a more inclusive, representative governance that resonates with every community member’s voice, particularly in educational settings.”
The complaint asserts that the at-large system violates Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution by diminishing the voting strength of Hispanic residents. Despite significant growth in the Hispanic population and their majority status in certain areas within the School District, not a single Latino member has been elected to the HASB or any significant local, state, or federal position representing the district.
“For the Hispanic citizens in the School District, the promise of a representative democracy remains unfulfilled until we eradicate these structural inequalities in political opportunities,” said Dan Brier, who serves as co-counsel in the case. “Myers Brier & Kelly is deeply honored to represent these courageous women in enforcing the protections of the Voting Rights Act and Fourteenth Amendment,” Brier added.
The suit comes amidst growing concern about the unavailability of Spanish-language services and the unfair treatment of minority students in HASD. The plaintiffs seek a court judgment to declare the current election system unlawful, an injunction against future at-large elections for HASB, and the implementation of a system that allows for fair Latino representation.
“This is not just about reshaping our school board; it’s about setting a precedent that respects and acknowledges the voice of every member of our community,” Reyes concluded.
The UCLA Voting Rights Project is an advocacy project housed within the UCLA Latino Policy and Politics Institute.
Read the court filing here.
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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 overlooked yet monumental gaps in the field of voting rights. The UCLA Voting Rights Project tackles questions of how to train young lawyers and researchers, support the development of new legal and methodological theories for voting rights cases, and advance policy work, to ensure that there will be 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: https://latino.ucla.edu/votingrights.
ABOUT MYERS, BRIER & KELLY LLP
Myers Brier & Kelly LLP has been at the forefront of voting rights litigation in the Commonwealth, having successfully represented Secretaries of State, Governors, and the Democratic Caucus of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. The firm regularly advises candidates, elected officials and appointed elections administrators in the Commonwealth on matters related to voting rights and election law.
To learn more about Myers, Brier & Kelly LLP, please visit:
