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Voter Rights Are Non Negotiable

By Mark Secada, Contributing Writer
Washington Square News (February 18, 2015)
To win Latino votes in 2016, Republicans are looking to Pitbull for
support. Ana Navarro, a Republican strategist, tried selling the rapper
on Jeb Bush when she saw him at a party because, "It'd be professional
negligence not to." Another Democrat's congressional aid quipped that a
Latino icon siding with immigration opponents would not exactly be a
Kodak moment. But suppose Pitbull is an average Latino whose vote
both Republicans and Democrats are fighting over. Suppose he emails
local election officials a question. According to a recent study, the
officials are not as likely to respond, or respond accurately. He isn't
likely to vote, and Republicans and Democrats' efforts are crushed. This
is because Pitbull's name is Armando Perz, not Arnold Parker.
These are the results of "What Do I Need to Vote?", a series of
unfortunate studies that show how implicit racial biases affect our
political institutions. In a randomized experiment, researchers sent
emails from Latino and non-Latino white aliases to 7,000 local election
officials. Not only were emails from Latinos less likely to receive a
response than emails from non-Latino white aliases, "los afortunados"
were less likely to receive accurate information. It is tempting to argue
that poor or non-responses from local election officials should not stop
Latinos from finding information they need, but even the most
dedicated voters will not show up to polls if the answers to their
questions are not clear. Discrimination prevents Latino voters from
participating in a bedrock of our society.
Discrimination is not exclusive to Latinos. Another study showed state
legislators are less likely to respond to emails about voter registration
from black constituents than white constituents. Yet it is not possible for
local election officials to curb racism on their own. Districts that did
discriminate against Latinos were subject to Section 5 of the Voting
Rights Act, which requires districts with a history of discrimination to
get approval from the federal government before they make changes to
their voting procedures. Unfortunately, the Supreme Court gutted
Section 5 in 2013 with Shelby County v. Holder. They ruled that Section
4 - determining which districts need preclearance - is unconstitutional
because it unfairly targeted the South. Still, most - if not all - districts
need to be watched. Racism is not a Southern problem, it is an American

problem.
It is arguable that Navarro, Bush's strategist, would have committed
professional negligence had she not approached Pitbull, but it is
inarguable Congress is committing professional negligence by not
expanding Section 4 of the VRA. A political institution that excludes
Latinos from giving it legitimacy is not a Kodak moment. Legislators
should expand Section 4 and strengthen the fabric which holds this
country together.
A version of this article appeared in the Feb. 18 print edition. Email Mark
Secada at opinion@nyunews.com.
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National Institute for Latino Policy (NiLP) | 25 West 18th Street | New York | NY | 100111991