Latinos and the Voting Rights Act

Henry Flores is the distinguished university research professor of political science and international relations in the Institute for Public Administration, Politics, and Public Policy at St. Mary's University.

• Chapter One: Uncovering Racial Purposes in Voting Rights PoliticsChapter Two: In Search of RacismChapter Three: Racism, the Arlington Heights Factos, and Latinos Chapter Four: Latino Identity, Whiteness, and Dual-Race TheoryChapter Five: “Do Citizens Select Legislators or Do Legislators Select Their Constituents?”Chapter Six: There is a Method to This MadnessChapter Seven: Strategic Racism Uncovered

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.