VRP Files Lawsuit against DHS in Defense of California Secretary of State 

VRP and Sr. Advisor Xavier Becerra filed a lawsuit in the D.C. District Court, on behalf of CHIRLA and an individual plaintiff, against the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of Justice for violating the numerous federal statutes and illegally targeting naturalized citizens who are legally registered to vote.  It has been well established that DHS databases are outdated, inaccurate and not able to precisely determine the eligibility of voters. The VRP lawsuit seeks to block the Executive Branch from further interfering in California elections.

Click here to watch Secretary Becerra's remarks at the press briefing.

SB 1360 Bilingual Voting Access Passed Legislature and Heading to Governor's Desk

The California Voting Rights Act of 2026 (CVRA 2026), which consists of Senate Bills 1360 and 1164 authored by Senator Sabrina Cervantes, has passed the Senate and Assembly and is en route to Governor Newsom's desk for signature. Huge congratulations to Senator Cervantes on this tremendous victory that will expand full bilingual voting materials in multiple languages across the state.

A second amended complaint was filed in the case challenging the at-large election system utilized by the Hazleton Area School District. This amended complaint addresses the modified Gingles standard outlined by the U.S. Supreme Court in Louisiana v. Callais. Tune in to next week's newsletter where our legal team will give an in-depth analysis of the background of this ongoing legal battle and its importance in the post-Callais landscape.

VRP Request for a Jury Trial Denied in Landmark Florida Congressional Redistricting Lawsuit

UCLA VRP Senior Staff Attorney Sonni Waknin argued before Judge Joshua Hawkes that Plaintiffs in the congressional redistricting challenge are entitled to a jury trial. The Court issued an order denying Plaintiffs request. The case will proceed as a bench trial. Stay tuned for our next newsletter where our legal team outlines the historical bases for the right to a jury trial in redistricting.

Did you know?💡

VRP Senior Advisor Xavier Becerra takes Trump DHS in lawsuit protecting naturalized citizen voters

Associated Press: UCLA VRP and CHIRLA allege DHS are interfering with fair elections

VRP's Matt Barreto tells ABC News that DHS has no authority to control the California voter file

VRP Legal Director Chad Dunn leads press conference announcing VRP lawsuit to protect California voters

UCLA VRP Senior Fellow Research Accepted for Publication

Ananya Hariharan had a paper accepted for publication in Political Geography on how Racially Polarized Voting (RPV) Dispersion Plots can be used to evaluate variations in candidate preference across precincts. This method helps political scientists and federal and state courts in investigating voting patterns in voting rights cases.

💼Employment Opportunities - Come work with the VRP!🚨

Staff Attorney

The UCLA Voting Rights Project (VRP) seeks an experienced litigation, trial, and appellate attorney to work on a new project focused on California county, city, school, and state redistricting plans and election policies. Reporting to the Legal Director, the staff attorney/California Voting Rights Counsel will play a critical role in the VRP, developing a new program along with data scientists, to track and analyze redistricting plans and proposed changes within local jurisdictions throughout the state of California. See the full job description here. 

How else can I support the VRP?

We will be sure to update you on community events, opportunities, or individual actions you can take that support our mission. If you are interested in collaborating or sponsoring our work on a larger scale, please reach out to us at info@uclavrp.org. 

If you would like to support research, policy advocacy, and impact litigation to promote equal access to voting for all Americans, please donate here. We appreciate your support!