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NALEO Educational Fund to Host Briefing on Latino Electorate Projections and Potential Impact of Voting Law Changes in 2014 and Beyond

Six months before Election Day, the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) Educational Fund will brief media on turnout projections for Latino voters this November and the findings of a new policy paper assessing the potential impact of voting law changes on the Latino electorate in 2014 and beyond. The event, which will also include the release of a national poll focused on voting rights support, will take place at 10 a.m. Eastern time on May 6th at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.

The report entitled “Latinos and the Voting Rights Act (VRA): Protecting Our Nation’s Democracy Then and Now” will examine the potential impact of the bipartisan Voting Rights Amendment Act (VRAA) legislation on restoring protections for Latino voters and the strength of the VRA following the blow dealt by the Supreme Court in its 2013 decision in Shelby County v. Holder. Nearly seven million Latinos eligible to vote residing in jurisdictions that were previously subject to preclearance pre-Shelby Co. have lost proactive protections under the VRA.

Experts have found there is widespread support among Americans for protecting the right to vote and modernizing the VRA. A NALEO survey of more than 1000 individuals in 10 states (Ariz., Fla., Ga., Miss., N.C., Ohio, Pa., S.C., Texas, and Va.) found that 83 percent of likely voters agree that having a fully functioning VRA is critical to making sure every American’s voting rights are protected. A majority of likely voters polled, including 63 percent of Republicans, also rejected the notion that there is no longer a need for a law protecting the rights of voters in this country. Full poll results can be found here.

NALEO Educational Fund Executive Director Arturo Vargas will take a closer look at the results of this poll, as well as discuss the major provisions of the VRAA and number of Latino voters expected to be affected in 2014 and beyond if the legislation is passed. At the briefing, Vargas will also release the organization’s turnout projections for the Latino electorate this November. Latino voters and candidates played a critical role in the 2010 mid-term elections, supplying the margin of victory in U.S. Senate races in Colo. and Nev.

According to projections from NALEO Educational Fund, the political influence of Latino voters will continue to grow. In 2014, nearly 25 million Latinos will be eligible to vote (an increase of nearly 20 percent from 2010), with the electorate set to reach 28 million by 2016. Looking to the future, the Latino electorate is expected to nearly double within the next two decades alone. As the Latino population becomes a larger segment of the electorate, it is increasingly important for Latinos to be able to make their voices heard at the ballot box, without confronting discriminatory barriers or obstacles.