The U.S. Justice Department on Tuesday filed a lawsuit against the City of Hazleton to challenge the city council’s at-large method of election.
The lawsuit alleges the city’s current at-large method of electing city council members results in Hispanic citizens having less opportunity than other members of the electorate to participate in the political process and to elect candidates of choice, in violation of the Voting Rights Act.
Hispanic voting-age citizens make up more than 40% of the city’s electorate.
Hispanic preferred candidates have campaigned for city council and routinely lose, despite the county’s sizeable Hispanic citizen population, according to a news release from the U.S. Justice Department.
“The Voting Rights Act is an important tool to ensure that underrepresented citizens have an equal opportunity to choose their elected officials,” stated Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Justice Department is committed to ensuring that all citizens have an equal opportunity to participate in the democratic process and elect candidates of choice. We look forward to working with officials to achieve a more perfect union by bringing Hazleton, Pennsylvania, into compliance with the Voting Rights Act.”
“The Hispanic population is a growing and important population in the City of Hazleton, and those citizens should have the ability to choose candidates that represent their interest,” stated U.S. Attorney Gerard M. Karam for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. “This complaint demonstrates my office’s commitment to partner with the Justice Department to enforce civil rights statutes like the Voting Rights Act.”
The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, alleges that changing the method of election can create opportunities for Hispanic voters to elect their choice to the Hazleton City Council.
By electing council members from single-member districts, Hispanic voters would have an opportunity to elect at least two members of the five-member city council, the news release says.
The complaint contains information from the 2020 U.S. Census listing Hazleton’s population at 29,963, of whom 9,894 are non-Hispanic, while 18,898 are Hispanic and 500 as non-Hispanic black. Hazleton has a total voting age population of 22, 216, of whom 8,666 are non-Hispanic white, 12,808 are Hispanic and 344 are non-Hispanic black, the complaint says.
The lawsuit seeks a federal court order implementing a new method of electing the Hazleton City Council.