Jorge L. Vasquez, Jr.
Jorge Vasquez
Program Director, Power and Democracy at the Advancement Project
Program Director, Power and Democracy at the Advancement Project
Jorge L. Vasquez, Jr. is the Program Director for our Power and Democracy program. In this role, Jorge leads Advancement Project National Office’s voter protection, redistricting, rights restoration, and democracy initiatives throughout the United States. He has been recognized for his work as a national civil rights lawyer, policy influencer, and democracy expert. Prior to joining Advancement Project National Office, Jorge was Associate Counsel with LatinoJustice PRLDEF, where he maintained a civil rights litigation portfolio focused on issues such as voting rights, the 2020 Census and criminal justice reform.
Jorge has been featured as a legal expert on national and local news networks including CNN, ABC Live, NPR, NBC Telemundo, Univision, Spectrum News 1, and he has been an opinion contributor to USA Today, The Hill and other digital and print news outlets. Jorge has also testified before the United States House of Representatives about the impact of the 2020 Census on inner cities and communities of color.
Jorge was a key member of LatinoJustice’s litigation team in Cabán Gonzalez v. Moore, et al., 1:19-cv-03035-TWT (N.D. GA), which challenged Georgia Department of Driver Services’ unequal application of its reciprocity licensing policies. Cabán Gonzalez ultimately resulted in a class-wide resolution, including full reciprocity to any driver’s license or identification card applicant with a valid U.S. territory (Puerto Rico, Guam, U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and Northern Mariana Islands) issued license or identification card for a Georgia driver’s license or identification card. In 2019, Jorge led an amicus brief, in United States Department of Commerce v. State of New York et al., Docket No. 18-966 (SCOTUS), on behalf of 15 Latino organizations illustrating the ramifications of including a citizenship question in the 2020 Census. Jorge has also led voting rights matters under Section 2 and 4(e) of the Voting Rights Act in Pennsylvania, Alabama, New Jersey, Rhode Island, New York, and facilitated voter protection programs in several states, including Florida and Georgia.
Jorge currently serves as the Chair of the Voting Rights Section of the Hispanic National Bar association. He is also a member of the American Bar Association’s Coalition on Racial and Ethnic Justice. Jorge frequently presents at bar association conferences and forums.
In 2019, Jorge received the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc., Eastern Region Everyday Hero Social Service Award. He was also named the Rising Star of the Bar for the New York County Lawyers Association in 2015. Jorge earned his Juris Doctorate from Seton Hall University School of Law, an LL.M. in Trial and Advocacy from Basely School of Law, Temple University and his Bachelor and Master’s degrees from the University at Albany.