Resolutions

Background: Elections in the United States are facing an unprecedented challenge of having a huge increase in the number of candidates running for office and that the traditional method for determining the winner with a “simple plurality” works well when two candidates are running, but in a race with many candidates, this system can easily result in winners with low percentages of the vote, who may not be preferred by the majority. Ranked-Choice Voting encourages candidates to build positive, issue-based campaigns rather than focusing on bringing down one

opponent. That’s because candidates also compete for second choice votes. If they smear one candidate, they are likely losing the second-choice vote of those whose first choice was treated poorly. With Ranked-Choice Voting, you can honestly rank candidates in order of choice, rather than worrying about who is more or less likely to win.

WHEREAS LULAC encourages Latinos to vote, run for office and take part in political discourse, and we support and demand effective government at all levels; and

WHEREAS Members who entered U.S. Congress after winning a primary with less than 35 percent of the vote are significantly more partisan than those who win with majority support 1 , which means the mechanics of how we vote help create the growing extremism we all decry; and

WHEREAS Hyper partisanship and polarization ruins our ability to govern, Rank-Choice Voting forces candidates to attract a larger electorate beyond their core supporters and makes campaigning less negative and promotes more

collaborative approaches; and

WHEREAS Ranked-Choice Voting gives voters the opportunity to vote for the candidate they support the most without worrying about throwing away their vote; and

WHEREAS Ranked-Choice Voting is nonpartisan, mostly recently utilized in the 2020 Democratic presidential primaries and caucuses in five states, and in three state Republican parties to elect officers and party nominees, including the winning Republican slate of candidates for Virginia statewide office in 2021; and

WHEREAS The District of Columbia already incorporates Ranked-Choice Voting in its race to select two At-Large City Council members by taking the top two candidates in one race where voters select their two choices; and

WHEREAS Ranked-Choice Voting has proven successful in rural and urban areas—Maine became the first state to use Ranked-Choice Voting for the presidential general election in 2020, and Ranked-Choice Voting was used in New York City for its primaries and special election in 2021; and

WHEREAS Ranked-Choice Voting helps save money for both campaigns and local governments that implement it when compared to a traditional winner-take-all system 2 by eliminating the need for both a primary and runoff election, which have lower voter turnout than general Election Day; and 

WHEREAS A 2021 study by FairVote 3 found that candidates of color earn more vote pick-ups in the round-by-round counting process than White candidates, and that in Ranked-Choice Voting elections candidates of color pay no penalty when competing against other candidates of the same racial or ethnic group; and

WHEREAS Exit polling found that voters who took part in Ranked-Choice Voting elections understood how to use the Ranked-Choice Voting, liked using Ranked-Choice Voting, and wanted to use Ranked-Choice Voting again in future elections 4 ; and

WHEREAS 43 U.S. jurisdictions used Ranked-Choice Voting in their most recent elections, and more than 50 jurisdictions are projected to use Ranked-Choice Voting in their next election, plus Ranked-Choice Voting is currently used successfully in other nations—including Australia and Ireland which have used it for more than a

century; and

WHEREAS Ranked-Choice Voting is currently being used successfully in major Latino populations centers, including New York City, Santa Fe, Las Cruces and Oakland; and

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the League of United Latin American Citizens affirms its support the Ranked-Choice Voting system and urges local, state and federal elections to implement a Ranked-Choice Voting system in future elections; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that LULAC will educate its membership on how Ranked-Choice Voting works through virtual and in-person presentations.

1 Election Reformers Network (2018). Our Research Finds More Links Between Partisanship and Our Rules

2 Beyond Chron. (2006). Ranked Choice Voting in SF: $3 Million Saved, Turnout Nearly Tripled

3 FairVote. (2021). Ranked Choice Voting Elections Benefit Candidates and Voters of Color

4 Beth Hladick. (2021). NYC's Ranked Choice Voting Implementation: Voters Liked It, Ranked It, and Want to

Keep Using It

Background: In 2022, 14 U.S. jurisdictions are allowing non-citizens to vote in local elections: New York City, Winooski and Montpelier in Vermont, San Francisco (school board only), and 11 cities in Maryland. Additionally, the U.S. territories of American Samoa and the Northern Mariana Islands also allow non-citizen U.S. nationals to

cast ballots in local elections. Currently, D.C. Councilmember Brianne Nadeau (D-Ward 1) has re-introduced a bill that would allow non-citizens to vote in local D.C. elections. The bill would expand voting eligibility to legal permanent residents — Green Card-holders — and would apply to the elections for Mayor, D.C. Council, State

Board of Education, Advisory Neighborhood Commissions, and Attorney General.

WHEREAS LULAC encourages Latinos to vote, run for office and take part in political discourse; and

WHEREAS More state legislators across the country introduce bills to suppress votes of their most marginalized residents, here in the District of Columbia we march in the opposite direction by expanding our democracy; and

WHEREAS More than 43,000 individuals in the District of Columbia are non-citizens 1 ; and

WHEREAS Immigrants (both naturalized and non-citizen) make up 15 percent of DC’s population and have contributed to the demographic, economic, and cultural growth of our nation’s capital 2 ; and

WHEREAS Immigrant-led households in D.C. paid $1.2 billion in federal taxes and $481.1 million in state and local taxes in 2019 3 ; and

WHEREAS Salvadorans remain the largest single immigrant group by region in the District of Columbia 4 ; and

WHEREAS Millions of undocumented immigrants, including 10,500 or 2.7 percent of the workforce in the District of Columbia, were on the front lines working to keep Americans safe, healthy, and supported during the coronavirus pandemic 5 while a majority of America teleworked from the safety of their homes; and

WHEREAS Legal permanent residents pay taxes, but cannot currently vote and do not serve on juries; and

WHEREAS Every day, elected officials are making decisions about affordable housing, education, human services and more, and people who have made their permanent homes here should have a hand in who represents; and

WHEREAS The District of Columbia has long been a place that has welcomed immigrants into our community, and it’s time to allow for their full participation in our institutions; and

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the League of United Latin American Citizens affirms its support of “Local Resident Voting Rights Amendment Act of 2021” which extends voting privileges to immigrants to local elections of the District of Columbia; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that DC LULAC will help register eligible immigrant and U.S. citizens voters.

1 Migration Policy (2019). Migration Policy Institute tabulations of the U.S. Census Bureau American Community

Survey (ACS) and Decennial Census.

2 Urban Institute (2018). State of Immigrants in the District of Columbia

3 New American Economy (2022). Immigrants and the Economy in the District of Columbia

4 American Immigration Council (2020). Facts Sheets: Immigrants in the District of Columbia

5 Center for American Progress (2020). Protecting Undocumented Workers on the Pandemic’s Front Lines

Background: Educators at K-12 schools, colleges and universities—not politicians— should make decisions about teaching and learning. LULAC supports the rights and academic freedom of teachers to design courses, curriculum, and pedagogy, and to conduct related scholarly research. LULAC opposes state legislative proposals which seek to limit teaching and discussions of racism and related issues that have been proposed and enacted in several states.

WHEREAS LULAC believes that education is the foundation for the cultural growth and development of this nation and that we are obligated to promote, protect, and assure the right of our people to an education that is in accordance with the best American educational principles and standards; and

WHEREAS LULAC deplores any infringement of this right wherever it may occur and regardless of whom it may affect; and

WHEREAS State legislative proposals are being introduced across the United States that target academic discussions of racism and related issues in American history in schools, colleges, and universities under the guise of banning “critical race theory;” and

WHEREAS Attacks on curricula and pedagogies addressing histories and legacies of gendered antiblack slavery, segregation/U.S. apartheid, genocidal conquest and colonization, heteronormativity, patriarchy, and other oppressive power relations attempt to repress and intimidate educators, undermining their capacity to explore a wide variety of topics based on a rigorous approach to social and historical knowledge and the development of essential critical thinking skills; and

WHEREAS Education about systemic, historical forms of oppressive violence and power relations based on race, gender, sexuality, ability, religion, citizenship, and other social/cultural/political identities is inseparable from the active and engaged pursuit of knowledge in the 21st century and is a basic pedagogical responsibility to students and multiple communities; and

WHEREAS In a nation that has for centuries struggled with issues of racial inequity and injustice, many students do not have adequate knowledge of BIPOC and LGBTQ+ history and the policies that contributed to inequities, our education system has a responsibility and opportunity to help build equity and social justice; and

WHEREAS Over 70 organizations, including the American Association of University Professors and the Association of American Colleges and Universities, issued the Joint Statement on Legislative Efforts to Restrict Education about Racism and American History (June 16, 2021) stating their “firm opposition to a spate of legislative

proposals being introduced across the country that target academic lessons, presentations, and discussions of racism and related issues in American history in schools, colleges and universities . . . In higher education, under principles of academic freedom that have been widely endorsed, professors are entitled to freedom in the classroom in discussing their subject. Educators, not politicians, should make decisions about teaching and learning;” and

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that LULAC resolutely rejects any attempts by bodies external to schools, colleges and universities to restrict or dictate school, college and university curriculum on any matter, including matters related to racial, gender and social justice, and will firmly oppose encroachment on faculty

authority by legislatures, boards of trustees, and similar or analogous bodies;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that LULAC calls on relevant educational administrators, including provosts, presidents, and chancellors, to affirm that they reject any attempts by bodies external to the faculty to restrict or dictate college and university curriculum on any matter, including matters related to racial, gender and social justice, and will firmly oppose encroachment on faculty authority by legislatures, boards of trustees, and similar or analogous bodies.

WHEREAS, the present protections under the Equal Protections Clause of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution are being undermined by state-level policies in the absence of federal laws defining the specific protections for particular communities from discrimination; and

WHEREAS, states in particular regions of the nation where Latinos reside, and where Latino LGBTQ individuals are proud and civically engaged members of the community, are seeing the civil liberties, public accommodation and safety of LGBTQ youth threatened by state legislators and governors in order to heighten fear, incite clashes between schools and parents, and fan the flames of hateful rhetoric; and

WHEREAS, states legislators and governors have declared another front in the culture war by eliminating books in the classroom with LGBTQ characters and historical figures, banning classroom discussion of LGBTQ people and issues, prohibiting students from sharing any information about LGBTQ family members, and obstructing school counselors from providing adequate care and privacy to LGBTQ students; and

WHEREAS, LGBTQ history is rarely taught in the United States with only four states (New Jersey, Colorado, Illinois and California) mandating that public schools include the subject in its curriculum, and less than 20 percent of students in a recent

national LGBTQ student survey responded that they received any positive representations of LGBTQ history, people or events in their school’s teachings 1 ; and

WHEREAS, schools already provide a difficult environment for LGBTQ youth to navigate, hostile school climates affect a student’s academic success and mental health, 2 and

WHEREAS, LGBTQ students who experience victimization and discrimination at school have worse educational outcomes and poorer psychological well-being. 3

WHEREAS, suicide is the second leading cause of death among 10 to 24 year old Americans 4 and LGBTQ youth have a significant increased risk of suicide compared to the their straight peers that they are four times as likely to attempt suicide; 5 and

WHEREAS, LULAC publicly supports efforts to dismantle discrimination against the LGBTQ community in policy defending against institutional discrimination and school bullying;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that LULAC asserts that the rights, civil liberties, and legal protections afforded to the people of many faiths, cultures, and races living within the United States are to be held in equal regard as they apply to LGBTQ

youth, parents of LGBTQ youth, and educators and counselors of LGBTQ youth; and

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the LULAC asserts that the universal human rights of the entirety of the LGBTQ community are not to be undermined, and reasserts that such efforts targeting LGBTQ youth in school, specifically, are abhorrent and condemnable; and

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that LULAC will be an active party to the defense of LGBTQ youth in schools whenever and wherever the community should have their full civil liberties, dignity, and equal protection from discrimination, harassment,

and violence within public and private institutions, as is afforded to them under the equal protection of the law.

1 GLSEN (2020) The 2019 National School Climate Survey

2 GLSEN (2020) The 2019 National School Climate Survey

3 GLSEN (2020) The 2019 National School Climate Survey

4 Hedegaard, Curtin and Warner (2018) Suicide Mortality in the United States, 1999–2017

5 Johns (2019) Transgender identity and experiences of violence victimization, substance use, suicide risk, and

sexual risk behaviors among high school student–19 states and large urban school districts, 2017.

WHEREAS, the Refugee Act of 1980 ensures that individuals who seek asylum from within the U.S. or at its border are not returned to the places where they face persecution; and

WHEREAS, LULAC has long adopted a legislative and advocacy platform that promotes humanitarian relief for citizens, immigrants, and asylum seekers, increased educational opportunities for our youth, and equal treatment for all in the United States and its territories including the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico; and

WHEREAS, LULAC’s platform includes measures to “condemn and abolish border enforcement practices that separate families and cause economic and emotional hardships to innocent families”; and

WHEREAS, on July 13, 2019, the “Stop the Illegal and Inhumane Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Tactics” resolution, originally introduced by M. Guadalupe Espinoza of Anaheim Council #2848, was passed by the LULAC National Assembly and signed by National President Domingo Garcia, recognizing that asylum seekers and immigrant workers are often abused, exploited and have become scapegoats and victims of racism and stereotyping; and

WHEREAS, the aforementioned resolution called on Congress to stop denying asylum seekers and immigrants the due process rights provided them by the U.S. Constitution and International Human Rights Agreements; and

WHEREAS, a public release from LULAC’s national office has surfaced, with policy positions unapproved by the National Assembly and in opposition to LULAC’s agreed-upon policy platform, including (1) the endorsement of a proposed federal asylum “transit ban” and (2) a recommendation encouraging the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to enact a three- to six-month moratorium on the processing of new asylum applications; and

WHEREAS, such a moratorium is unlawful, would subject asylum seekers to the inhumane treatment LULAC condemned in the aforementioned resolution, and has been condemned by immigration attorneys, advocates, and experts in the field of asylum policy;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that LULAC Council 11125 reaffirms its stance

advocating for due process for asylum seekers; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the signatory council(s) call upon the LULAC National Board to retract such press releases, public statements, and policy recommendations to the contrary; and to commit to collaborating with asylum advocates and issue area experts from within its councils, civil rights organizations, and community based organizations to develop a humane, sound, and lawful asylum policy position.