{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://soto.house.gov/media/press-releases/soto-congressional-hispanic-caucus-host-roundtable-focused-voting-rights", "Soto, Congressional Hispanic Caucus Host Roundtable Focused on Voting Rights Issues in Hispanic Communities", "2024-10-02", "2024", "2024-10", "Democrat", "House", "FL", "Darren Soto", "S001200", "soto.house.gov", "soto", "https://soto.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 Last week, Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) Vice Chair of Policy Darren Soto and CHC Chair Nanette Barrag\u00e1n hosted a roundtable with CHC members, Congressional leadership, Biden-Harris Administration officials, and community stakeholders focused on voting rights issues affecting Hispanic communities ahead of the upcoming presidential election.\n\nDuring the roundtable, attendees spoke about barriers affecting access to the ballot box for Latinos across the country\u2014such as reducing vote-by-mail and early vote options, mis/disinformation, gerrymandering, language barriers, petition drive limitations, and other suppression tactics\u2014and ways Congress and the Executive branch can work in local communities to mitigate issues.\n\n\u201cIt is crucial that we address the pressing barriers that hinder Latino communities' access to the ballot. From making it harder to vote to widespread dissemination of misinformation/disinformation to gerrymandering, language obstacles, and other forms of voter suppression, these challenges disproportionately affect Hispanic voters,\u201d said CHC Vice Chair of Policy Soto. \u201cWe must foster collaboration across federal, state, and local levels to protect voting rights. By taking meaningful action, we can empower local communities and ensure that every Latino voice is heard and respected in our democracy.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe Congressional Hispanic Caucus knows that our vote is our voice, and we will protect the rights of all Americans to register and cast their vote \u2013 including our Latino communities. Serious barriers like voter suppression, language access issues, and gerrymandering continue to impact Latino voters and threaten to weaken our voices,\u201d said CHC Chair Barraga\u0301n. \u201cThe CHC Voting Rights Roundtable brought together CHC Members, Congressional leadership, and expert stakeholders from across the country to discuss the challenges and collaborate on new policy ideas to protect Latinos' right to vote. We are committed to the expansion of access to the ballot box, voter education, and the elimination of obstacles to register and vote in order to ensure that every Latino voter can fully participate in our democracy.\u201d\n\n\u201cAs a member of the House Administration Subcommittee on Elections, I am deeply concerned about the increasing spread of misinformation in our electoral process. With the November election approaching, it is imperative to raise awareness about the deceptive use of artificial intelligence creating fake videos that mislead Americans with false information about our candidates, especially among Americans whose first language is not English, including Latinos,\u201d said CHC Vice Chair of Communications Norma Torres. \u201cAdditionally, it is crucial to safeguard our election workers from potential threats, harassment, or mistreatment. My colleagues and I voiced our concerns during the roundtable discussions to advocate for fair and transparent elections. It is essential for us to continue our efforts to ensure a peaceful transfer of power and to uphold the United States as a beacon of free and equitable elections.\u201d\n\n\u201cI'm thankful for the leadership of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus for leaning into the importance of making sure that we move legislation forward that's going to protect the right to vote for the Latino community and for every single American,\" said House Democratic Caucus Leader Hakeem Jeffries. \"Extreme MAGA Republicans are abandoning democracy and doubling and tripling down on Trump's Project 2025. Which is why, at the very top of our governing agenda, as soon as we get the opportunity to do so early in the next Congress, we are committed to moving both the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Robert Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act so we can end the era of voter suppression in America once and for all.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe right to vote is foundational to our democracy,\u201d said House Democratic Caucus Vice Chair Ted Lieu. \u201cUnfortunately, communities of color are often targeted by voter suppression laws designed to dissuade people from casting their votes. As we head into a national election in November, it is essential to ensure all Americans have access to the ballot box. I am pleased to stand alongside my House Democratic colleagues to push back against voter suppression efforts. Thank you to Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chair Nanette Barrag\u00e1n, Vice Chair of Policy Darren Soto and Leader Hakeem Jeffries for gathering advocates and stakeholders to discuss pressing voting rights issues facing Hispanic communities ahead of the presidential election.\u201d\n\nIn addition to Vice Chair of Policy Soto and Chair Barrag\u00e1n, the following Members of Congress were present at the roundtable:\n\nHouse Democratic Caucus Leader Hakeem Jeffries\n\nHouse Democratic Caucus Vice Chair Ted Lieu\n\nCHC Vice Chair of Member Engagement Tony C\u00e1rdenas\n\nCHC Vice Chair of Communications Norma Torres\n\nCHC Whip Sylvia Garcia\n\nCHC Freshman Representative Andrea Salinas\n\nRep. Teresa Leger Fern\u00e1ndez\n\nRep. Jes\u00fas \"Chuy\" Garc\u00eda\n\nRep. Delia Ramirez\n\nThe roundtable was attended by the following Biden-Harris Administration officials:\n\nBen Hovland, Chair, U.S. Election Assistance Commission\n\nRochelle Garza, Chair, U.S. Commission on Civil Rights\n\nAnn Lewis, Director of Technology Transformation Services, U.S. General Services Administration\n\nThe roundtable was also attended by the following stakeholders:\n\nJose Artemio Arreola, Director of Communications at Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights \"ICIRR\"\n\nRoberta Braga, Founder and Executive Director at Digital Democracy Institute of the Americas (DDIA)\n\nAnais Carmona, Director of Congressional Affairs at Microsoft\n\nSian I. Du\u2019Prey, Midwest Programs Director at Hispanic Federation\n\nValerio Martinelli, Legislative Director at NALEO Educational Fund\n\nRebecca Mears, Director for Democracy at Center for American Progress\n\nChristina Morales, Texas State Representative, House District 145\n\nLiliana Ranon, Vice President of External Affairs at the National Association of Broadcasters\n\nMichael Rios, Senior Data Scientist at UCLA Voting Rights Project\n\nLourdes M. Rosado, President & General Counsel at LatinoJustice PRLDEF\n\nGabriel Sanchez, Senior Fellow/Professor at the University of New Mexico, Brookings Institution\n\nAndrea Senteno, Regional Counsel at MALDEF\n\nDr. Ray Serrano, National Director of Research and Policy at League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC)\n\nMarcos Vilar, Executive Director at Alianza for Progress", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T21:57:20Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://soto.house.gov/media/press-releases/soto-congressional-hispanic-caucus-host-roundtable-focused-voting-rights"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 2.684372942894697, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}