The Origins of the 1975 Expansion of the Voting Rights Act: Linking Language, Race, and Political Influence

We know relatively little about the origins of the 1975 expansion of the Voting Rights Act (VRA) to include language minorities. Who were the principal players in the conceptualization, legislative strategizing, and legislative politicking that led to one of the most significant legislative achievements to empower Latino, Asian American, Native American, and Alaska Native voters? Although many people were ultimately involved in contributing to the successful expansion of the VRA, one person, Al Pérez, was directly responsible for initiating the idea, then finding the sources of technical support to draft the legislation. Pérez also played a key role in organizing the witnesses, developing the legislative coalition, and making sure that the final vote was favorable. Among the most innovative components of the legislative policy strategy was to link language disparity with electoral discrimination and to place Texas at the center of the production of evidence of voting discrimination experienced by Mexican Americans. The article concludes with a consideration of how the choices made regarding race and politics might position Latinos and other language minorities to benefit from Section 5 of the VRA in ways that are distinct from consequences resulting from the 2013 Supreme Court decision in Shelby v. Holder.