Amarillo Independent School District

Abstract

This case, set in the high plateau of the Texas Panhandle, covers the years 1998-2004. The focus is on voting rights. The Amarillo board members, like board members in most Texas districts, were elected at large. Faced with a voting rights lawsuit filed by the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, the League of United Latin American Citizens, and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, they opted for cumulative voting rather than creating single-member districts. The case shows how the board maintained unity and avoided ethnic discord by accepting a compromise. Many districts in areas with growing Hispanic populations have or will face voting rights lawsuits. This case sheds light on this challenge and offers an option that most boards may not otherwise consider.