Houston Landing Reports on Humble ISD Voting Rights Action

May 9, 2024 – Houston Landing reports on a Voting Rights Act lawsuit filed by Brewer Storefront on behalf of plaintiff Judith Bautista against the Humble Independent School District on Thursday, alleging the election system violates the VRA by preventing Hispanic voters from electing their preferred school board candidates. The lawsuit was filed as part of the Storefront’s recently announced Texas Voting Rights Initiative (TVRI).

 Houston Landing reports that the lawsuit was brought by Bautista, a former Spanish teacher in the district. There are currently no Hispanic trustees on the board.

“Regrettably, the diverse ethnic and racial makeup of Humble ISD is not reflected in its elected Board of Trustees — who live in a cluster in the predominantly white (and higher income) areas within Humble ISD,” the lawsuit states.

The Landing reports that the suit seeks as a remedy for the court to mandate that Humble ISD adopted “single member districts.” The article mentions that the lack of Hispanic representation contributes to the district’s “achievement gap” between students of color and white students.

Read the Houston Landing report here.

Houston Chronicle Reports on Humble ISD Voting Rights Lawsuit

May 10, 2024 – The Houston Chronicle reports on a voting rights lawsuit filed by Brewer Storefront on behalf of plaintiff Judith Bautista against the Humble Independent School District on Thursday. The lawsuit was filed as part of the Storefront’s recently announced Texas Voting Rights Initiative (TVRI).

 The article notes that the lawsuit states that the district has a geographically significant Hispanic population that would allow for at least one Hispanic-majority single member district to be drawn for increased representation.

 The article notes that the lawsuit comes after the Storefront sent letters to 11 school districts in March as part of a statewide initiative to secure voting rights among Texas’ minority populations.

 Brewer Storefront Partner William Brewer told the Chronicle that the plaintiff is now taking action because "time is of the essence when people are being denied the right to fairly participate in the political process," adding that the board "indicated no meaningful willingness to bring the electoral system into compliance with the Voting Rights Act."

 Read the Houston Chronicle report here.