Latino civil rights group files legal challenge to new Iowa voter law
An organization working on behalf of the Latino population in the state of Iowa had filed a lawsuit challenging new voting restrictions in the state, it was announced on Wednesday.
The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) - represented by Washington DC-based voting rights lawyer Marc Elias - filed the lawsuit in the Iowa capital of Des Moines.
The measure, which was signed into law by Iowa governor Kim Reynolds on Monday, includes a number of changes that Democrats and advocacy groups believe will make it more difficult for minority, elderly and disabled voters.
Under the provisions of the law, early voting is shorted, both by early ballots and on election day itself. The early voting period is reduced from 29 days to 20.
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Additionally, early ballots can only be accepted if brought in by the voter, an immediate family member, household member or caregiver. Anyone else - even if designated by the voter - will be breaking the law by delivering ballots.
The lawsuit claims these changes are "an exercise in voter suppression, one disguised as a solution for a problem that exists only in the fertile imaginations of its creators."
Sindy Benavides, LULAC's national CEO, said that the changes are "concerning" for the state's Latino population.
"If not reversed, the new law creates a dangerous precedent that restricts Latino voters and voters of color from accessing the voting booth and early voting," she said. "Clearly, this is a planned strategy to ensure rising voters are met with obstacles and not allowed to participate in our democracy. We trust that our arguments will prevail in court so that the right of every eligible voter is protected."
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Speaking to NBC news, another LULAC spokesman, Joe Henry, said that the organization believes the changes to the law unfairly impact young Latino voters, who tend to vote earlier as a result of their jobs and transportation difficulties.
This, he said, suggests that Iowa Republicans are concerned about the state's growing Latino population.
"Clearly, they're trying to knock out as many people as possible thinking that they're going to be able to win future elections," he said. "We feel that they're wrong and of course we also feel that it's unconstitutional."
LULAC is the largest and oldest volunteer-based civil rights organization that focuses on the Latino community. Headquartered in Washington DC, the organization has 1,000 councils spread across the United States and Puerto Rico.
"After a historic Iowa voter turnout in 2020 and no proof of voter fraud or irregularities, we should be building on those successes, not restricting voting to the voting booth," Salazar added. "We are fighting for all Iowans with this lawsuit."
According to statistics from the Iowa Data Center, Latinos constitute only 6.3% of Iowa's population. By 2050, this figure is expected to double to 12.1%. Nearly 30% of Iowa's Latinos were born outside the country, including nearly 40,000 born in Mexico.
The state's Latino population grew 140.7% between 2000 and 2019.