LULAC lawsuit challenges Houston's at-large system: 'We're working on this because of the lack of representation at city hall'

The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) alleges in a federal lawsuit that the Houston City Council is devoid of Hispanic representation, per reports from Houston-based media outlets. 

LULAC initiated the litigation on Monday, with the organization’s national president, Domingo Garcia, asserting Houston is the lone major city in Texas with at-large seats, Houston CBS affiliate KHOU reported. 

"We're working on this because of the lack of representation at city hall," Garcia said, KHOU reported.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, a shade over one million Hispanics call Houston home as of 2020. 

Robert Gallegos, who represents District I on the 16-member city council, is the sole Hispanic council member. 

"I don't see this lawsuit as hurting Houston or has anything against Houston,” Anthony Rios, a complainant in the suit, told Houston ABC affiliate KTRK.

Per KTRK, Garcia labels Houston’s at-large system a violation of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. 

Gallegos, whose district includes the predominantly Hispanic Second Ward, alluded that his distinction is an anomaly given they’re 45% of the city’s population. 

"First, I'm proud being a Latino on city council, but then again, I'm embarrassed knowing that we're almost half the population, but yet I'm the only Latino on city council," he said, according to KTRK.

KHOU reported that LULAC’s suit aims to have the city discontinue at-large elections that determine the five members to join the body’s 11 single-district representatives. 

“[They] discriminate and disenfranchise every average Houston homeowner whether they are Latino or not,” Garcia told the station. 

LULAC also seeks to gather 20,000 signatures for a petition to have all single-member districts placed on the ballot for the 2023 Houston municipal elections, KHOU reported.