Citizens in Charge

Boosters of Houston’s 70 red-light cameras are seeking to prevent a November vote on whether to ban the devices, alleging in a federal lawsuit that the initiative was placed on the ballot illegally and that it could violate the Voting Rights Act. The proposal, which City Council voted to put on the ballot last month, did not follow guidelines in the city charter that require those seeking repeal of a law through referendum to challenge it within 30 days of the law’s passage, the suit says. The ordinance authorizing the use of red light cameras passed in 2004.