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A message from League of United Latin American Citizens



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View as web page:

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Photo Credit: John Moore / Getty Images

June 30, 2023
Contact: David Cruz - (818) 689-9991 Mobile
[email protected]



LULAC APPLAUDS A LANDMARK COURT VICTORY FOR BILINGUAL VOTERS IN IOWA
====================================================================


Nation's Oldest and Largest Latino Civil Rights Organization Wins Battle to
Secure Voting Materials in Spanish When Needed As a Constitutional Right

Washington, DC – The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) announced a
significant victory in Iowa in a lawsuit that challenged that state's practices
in disseminating voter information only in English, declaring that the official
language for conducting Iowa's affairs.

"The decision in LULAC of Iowa vs. Paul Pate et al. marks a historic win for
Iowans and the fundamental right to vote," said Jazmin Newton, Iowa LULAC State
Director. "I applaud the 5th Judicial District of Iowa in its application of the
law to the facts before the court. Democracy wins. I am optimistic for our future
and look forward to working with all Iowans to ensure they are civically engaged
and exercising their right to vote without unnecessary obstacles," added Newton.

The lawsuit challenged Iowa's "English-Only Law," passed in 2002. That law
required all official documents to be in English. However, the statute provided
for using a language (other than English) if an individual's constitutional
rights were at stake.

"This ruling is a significant step towards promoting inclusivity, fairness, and
voter engagement in Iowa," says Nick Salazar, immediate past Iowa LULAC state
director. "We applaud the court's decision and will continue our efforts to
protect and expand voting rights for all communities in our state. The voices of
democracy will echo across the state in more than one language," said Salazar.

Photo Credit: Steven Clevenger / Getty

The court's ruling this week by District Court Judge Scott D. Rosenberg in Iowa's
5th Judicial District reversed that viewpoint as being legal, stating in part:
"It… strains credibility to assert that providing voting materials in another
language is not "required by or necessary to secure the rights guaranteed by the
Constitution and laws of the United States of America, where a prohibition
against English-only elections is codified in a federal law titled the "Voting
Rights Act."

"In sum, the undisputed facts, in this case, can lead to only one legal
conclusion: official materials related to voting are a use of language that is
"necessary to secure the rights guaranteed by the Constitution and laws of the
United States of America or the Constitution of the State of Iowa. The right to
vote is not merely the ability to check boxes on a piece of paper. It is about
being able to register, understanding what is on the ballot, and knowing when and
where voting takes place. All of these facets are furthered by allowing counties
to provide and accept voting materials in non-English languages."

Reaction from Iowa LULAC leaders is positive. "Language should never be a barrier
to the constitutional right to vote, and that was upheld by Judge Rosenberg this
week," says Joe Henry, LULAC Iowa state political director and former national
board vice-president for the Midwest. "As a matter of fact, language matters!
Language communicates the right to vote! The voting rights act of 1965 banned the
use of literacy tests, and the use of the English-only law in Iowa was a form of
a literacy test," said Henry.

# # #

About LULAC
The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) is the nation’s largest and
oldest civil rights volunteer-based organization that empowers Hispanic Americans
and builds strong Latino communities. Headquartered in Washington, DC, with 1,000
councils around the United States and Puerto Rico, LULAC’s programs, services and
advocacy address the most important issues for Latinos, meeting critical needs of
today and the future. For more information, visit www.LULAC.org [ [link removed] ] .















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