WASHINGTON, April 16 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The Justice Department
announced today that it has settled a Voting Rights Act lawsuit against the
Osceola County, Fla., School Board. The Justice Department simultaneously
filed a complaint and consent decree today settling the suit in the U.S.
District Court for the Middle District of Florida in Orlando.
The Department’s lawsuit alleges that the district boundaries for
electing school board members violate Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act.
Specifically, the Department alleges that the existing districts will
result in Hispanic citizens having less opportunity than other citizens to
participate in the electoral process and to elect candidates of their
choice to office. While Hispanic citizens comprise approximately 40 percent
of the population of Osceola County, the county has never elected a
Hispanic candidate to the five-member school board. Under the current
district boundaries, no district has a Hispanic eligible voter majority.
Complaints about discriminatory voting practices may be reported to the
Justice Department at 1-800-253-3931. More information about the Voting
Rights Act and other federal voting laws is available on the Department of
Justice website at http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/voting.
Filed under: News, Osceola County
