Latinos and the Voting Rights Act

This book is a deep dive into the racism underlying passage of a discriminatory redistricting plan and a discriminatory voter identification law (SB14), both approved in Texas during the 2011 legislative session. Flores combines blow-by-blow accounts of the passage of those controversial measures, a legal investigation into the degree to which each violated the rights of Latinos and thus the Voting Rights Act, and the history of race relations in Texas, all framed by the Supreme Court’s discussion of discriminatory purpose in Arlington Heights v. Metropolitan Housing Development Corp (1977). The book tells the rich and detailed story of racial animosity among Republican supporters of the two measures, as well as legislators’ use of 'racist shields' and their refusal to discuss how SB14 might unfairly restrict Latino participation. Flores speaks powerfully to the history of race relations in Texas, where Latinos 'find themselves being used as a buffer race between Anglos and African Americans,' and the inattention of courts to the many ways that the two minority communities differ. He briefly touches on the impact of Shelby County v. Holder (2012), and calls for a recommitment to the proposition that all citizens, including Latino citizens, should have an equal electoral voice. Summing Up: Recommended. Graduate, research, and professional collections. * CHOICE *
This impressive and important volume explores some of the ways in which law has been used in recent times to disempower minority voters and distort democracy in the United States…. Flores provides an insider’s view of this litigation and produces a richly detailed and nuanced narrative based on voluminous documentary evidence related to both cases…. Overall, this book shows the continuing relevance of race and racism in U.S. politics and policy and some ways in which racial prejudice may distort American democracy. It also outlines a promising methodology for scholars and legal activists alike to examine and, when relevant, demonstrate racial motivations in governmental actions. This study is a model of politically engaged research that makes significant contributions to the jurisprudence of equal protection, social science methods, and critical race studies. The descriptions and analyses regarding the role of race and racism in official governmental actions constituting the core of the research described in this volume are especially timely given our current politics, in which political rhetoric, policy proposals, and the actions of public agencies are increasingly challenged by political and legal activists and social movements. * Law and Politics Book Review *
Henry Flores analyzes southwestern history, constitutional law and litigation to unravel the racial bias behind efforts to limit the influence of minority voters. With more than thirty years’ experience as an expert witness in voting rights cases, Flores offers the reader a bird’s eye view of the players and their motivations in southwestern electoral politics. He unravels the web of contested ideas, ideology and social science analysis that play out in contemporary voting rights struggles. Highly recommended. -- Benjamin Marquez, Professor of Political Science, University of Wisconsin, Madison
Professor Flores has performed an enormous service by illustrating the ways in which power and race intersect in the distribution of political power where there is a far-reaching incentive to keep the contemplation of race hidden. His close study of the Voting Rights Act and the actions of the Texas Legislature shows the pervasive impact of race on decisions making and the ways in which it deforms democracy. Anyone who wants to understand the ways in which our racial history has distorted representational rights needs to read this book. -- Gerald Torres, Jane M. G. Foster Professor of Law, Cornell University Law School