On October 11th, 2023, LUPE Executive Director Tania Chavez Camacho will testify for the second time as Western District of Texas: U.S. District Court in San Antonio continues to hear the case LUPE v. Abbott
Two years after its implementation, LUPE members continue to challenge the Texas voter suppression law SB 1. SB 1 imposes new voter ID requirements on all mail voters and heavily impacts elderly voters and voters with disabilities. The law limits community-based voter outreach, while making it more difficult for voters to get desired assistance while voting.
Our fight against SB1 is already yielding results: the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals recently released a new ruling that portions of SB1, adopted in September 2021, violate the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The U.S. Department of Justice agreed with La Unión Del Pueblo Entero and acknowledged that SB 1 unlawfully restricts the ability of eligible Texas voters to vote by mail and to have that vote counted.
Tania Chavez Camacho, President and Executive Director for LUPE and LUPE votes, said: “The right to vote is a fundamental right, a right that should be protected without infringement. The rejection of mail in ballots and the voting restrictions placed by SB1 goes against our constitutional rights. Every voter deserves their vote to be accounted for regardless of their age, background, or disability. Every voter should, if needed, have a right to choose their assistant, without the assistant fearing prosecution. LUPE will continue to fight for every voter in the courts as we continue to protect our democracy.”
LUPE is represented by the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund (MALDEF).
Background: Texas enacted an omnibus law in 2021 that imposed a wide range of restrictions on voting. Six lawsuits were filed against various provisions in S.B. 1 for violating the U.S. Constitution’s First, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments; Section 2 and Section 208 of the Voting Rights Act; and the Americans with Disabilities Act: LUPE v. Abbott, LULAC Texas v. Esparza, Houston Area Urban League v. Abbott, Mi Familia Vota v. Abbott, OCA-Greater Houston v. Esparza, and United States v. Texas. LUPE v. Abbott (and the consolidated cases) is likely one of the only challenges to a 2021 omnibus restrictive voting law with a disproportionate effect on voters of color that will go to trial between now and the 2024 election.
To arrange virtual or in person interviews with Tania Chavez Camacho, contact Ramiro Gonzalez, LUPE Communications Coordinator, at (956) 360-4277 or ramirog@lupenet.org. Interviews available in English and Spanish.