Federal lawsuit filed against city of Houston due to lack of Hispanic representation on city council

A group of Hispanic activists have filed a federal lawsuit against the city of Houston alleging the underrepresentation of minorities in city government.

The lawsuit was filed Monday by the Houston chapter of LULAC, a national Hispanic activist group. The group alleges Houston City Council — which currently has one Hispanic councilmember — is violating the Voting Rights Act of 1965 by failing to properly represent the city’s minority population due to City Council’s five at-large positions.

“The current at-large method of electing five Houston city councilmembers…results in Latino and minority citizens having less opportunity than other members of the electorate to participate in the political process and to elect representatives of their choice,” the lawsuit reads.

The lawsuit names the city of Houston and City Secretary Pat Daniel as defendants.

During a press conference outside of City Hall on Monday, LULAC National President Domingo Garcia said the city should do away with City Council’s at-large positions, which represent the city as a whole, and instead add more single-district council seats — a similar system seen in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago.

Read more: https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/city-of-houston/2022/12/05/438684/federal-lawsuit-filed-against-city-of-houston-due-to-lack-of-hispanic-representation-on-city-council/