Minorities, Hispanic | featured news

In our view, however, there is a more compelling explanation for the apparent apathy on this issue. It's not that no one cares about voter suppression. But to rise above the other issues of the day -- and to transcend the inhibiting language that has framed the debate left and right -- voters will need to know what only to think about voter suppression but also what they can do.

The Justice Department has blocked a new law in Texas requiring voters to show a photo ID, saying that it disproportionately harms Hispanic residents. The action is the second time in three months that the Obama administration has blocked a state voter ID law. In December, the Justice Department struck down South Carolina’s new law requiring photo identification at the polls, saying it discriminated against minority voters.

A Brookings Institution report says the populations of Hispanics and Asians are rising the fastest.

The wealth gaps between whites and minorities have grown to their widest levels in a quarter-century. The recession has erased decades of minority gains, leaving whites with 20 times the net worth of blacks and 18 times that of Hispanics.