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Voting Rights Project

UCLA VRP Prevails at the U.S. Supreme Court and Secures New Map for Latino/a Voters in Washington State

Latino voters in the Yakima Valley region of Washington State will now, for the first time, have an opportunity to elect three candidates of choice to the Washington Legislature in 2024.

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

UCLA Voting Rights Project Prevails at the US Supreme Court and Secures New Map for Latino/a Voters in Washington State

WASHINGTON (April 2, 2024) – Today, Latino voters in the Yakima Valley region of Washington State will now, for the first time, have an opportunity to elect three candidates of choice to the Washington Legislature in 2024. The United States Supreme Court denied a last minute attempt to stay the lower court ruling that found the map adopted by the Washington Redistricting Commission violated the Federal Voting Rights Act (VRA). This important voting rights victory comes after years of litigation, trial, and appeal work by the UCLA Voting Rights Project, Mexican American Legal Defense Fund (MALDEF), Campaign Legal Center (CLC), and the Morfin Law Firm.

Counties in Washington State and organizations have already begun to educate voters about their new districts in advance of the candidate filing period.

“Today, the U.S. Supreme Court confirmed that Washington State will use a lawful map for the next general election. This decision guarantees that all voters can participate, assured their votes count on a map adhering to Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. We are proud to advocate for our clients in the Yakima Valley,” said Sonni Waknin, program manager and voting rights counsel at the UCLA VRP.

This decision follows a lawsuit, Soto v. Hobbs, filed by UCLA VPR on behalf of Latino voters against the previous districting, which diluted Latino electoral influence. The suit was filed after it was revealed that the enacted legislative districts fractured Latino communities, particularly in the Yakima Valley, undermining the Latino community’s ability to elect representatives of their choice. This division not only contradicted the principles of fair representation but also violated Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act.

The UCLA Voting Rights Project is an educational 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 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://44.245.141.20/votingrights.