Opinion in United States v. Osceola County

http://www.usdoj.gov/opa/pr/2006/Octobe ... t_713.html
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2006
WWW.USDOJ.GOVCRT
(202) 514-2007
TDD (202) 514-1888

Statement of Wan J. Kim, Assistant Attorney General
for the Civil Rights Division,
on Opinion in United States v. Osceola County
“We are extremely pleased with today's Court ruling, which affirms that Osceola County must abandon its illegal election system,” said Wan J. Kim, Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. ”It is an important victory for all the residents of Osceola County, and particularly for its Hispanic citizens who have been denied their right to full and equal participation in the democratic process in county government. We look forward to working with the County to achieve an election plan that provides Hispanic voters the opportunity the Voting Rights Act guarantees.”

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06-713

Please be more specific. How were legal U.S. citizens denied their right to vote?

Yes, please give details. Would love to hear what AG Gonsellus de la Raza
is up to these days.

United States v. Osceola County (M.D. Fla 2005)

In this complaint, the United States alleges that the at-large system for electing the county Board of Commissioners violates Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. Although Hispanics comprise nearly one-third of the county's electorate, the county has never elected a Hispanic candidate to the Board under the at-large system or to any county-wide office. The complaint alleges that the existing electoral system operates to dilute Hispanic voting strength, and that Osceola County has adopted and maintained the at-large method of election with a discriminatory purpose. On June 26, the court issued a ruling from the bench granting the Department's motion for a preliminary injunction against the County enjoining the elections until further order of the Court. On October 18, Court issued a favorable Memorandum Opinion for the United States.