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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Contact:
Camila Gallardo
(305) 573-7329
Cell: (305) 215-4259
MIAMI—NCLR (National Council of La Raza) applauds the U.S. District court’s ruling to permanently remove the harsh restrictions on third-party voter registration groups, which have made it difficult for organizations such as NCLR to register potential voters in the state of Florida. NCLR’s Mobilize to Vote campaign is working in Florida to register Hispanic voters this election year and was one of the groups that joined Florida State Senator Arethia Joyner and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in filing an administrative petition against the state.
“This order is a significant victory not only for Hispanic voters, but for all voters in Florida,” said Janet Murguía, President and CEO of NCLR. “Thanks to the judge’s commonsense ruling, we can now focus on engaging all of Florida’s voters in the electoral process, particularly Hispanic voters, who would have been compromised had the restrictions remained.”
Last year the Florida state legislature passed a sweeping voter reform bill that drastically cut early voting and imposed restrictive measures on third-party voter registration groups, such as NCLR, that caused many to cease operations in the state. NCLR and its partners filed suit at that time, alleging that those restrictions in particular violated the Voting Rights Act because they unfairly targeted minority voters.
“In Florida we were facing challenges to minority voter participation that were unparalleled in recent history and would have restricted the ability of millions of the state’s Hispanics to vote,” continued Murguía. “Yesterday’s ruling ensures that those wanting to vote in the upcoming election won’t have burdensome and unnecessary obstacles to exercising their basic American right, which is to participate in our democracy and vote.”
Mobilize to Vote (M2V), the voter registration and mobilization campaign central to NCLR’s civic engagement efforts, maintains full-time operations in Florida—its flagship state—Colorado, Nevada, and Pennsylvania. Through NCLR’s vast Affiliate Network, M2V also maintains a presence in California, North Carolina, and Texas.
NCLR—the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States—works to improve opportunities for Hispanic Americans. For more information on NCLR, please visit www.nclr.org or follow along on Facebook and Twitter.
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