SCOTUS Shreds the Voting Rights Act
On April 29, the Supreme Court ruled in Louisiana v. Callais on a 6-3 decision to shred Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act.
This ruling struck down Louisiana’s Congressional map, which included two majority-Black districts. This impacts how voting districts are drawn and dilutes minority voters’ power.
The Voting Rights Act (VRA), credited with ending Jim Crow, is widely hailed as the “crown jewel” of the Civil Rights Movement. The VRA is foundational in our multiracial democracy, and Section 2 of this is the central safeguard against racially discriminatory redistricting. Even though the VRA still technically exists, this new ruling laid the groundwork for the largest reduction in minority voting representation since the late 1800s.
As a result of this decision, Black, Latinx, Native, and other voters of color likely will face the elimination of districts across the country that have provided fair representation. This will make accurate political representation harder to achieve and allow discrimination at the ballot box to persist unchecked.
Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act has been the primary legal tool that voters of color rely on to challenge discriminatory maps and election systems. This decision will impact how we conduct our elections and means that even in instances where racial discrimination in voting is clear and ongoing, communities will be left without the key protection they have to combat it. Not only will this impact our congressional districts, but it will also impact state legislative districts, county commission boundaries, school boards, and city councils.
We echo Justice Elena Kagan’s dissent:
“I dissent because the Court betrays its duty to faithfully implement the great statute Congress wrote. I dissent because the Court’s decision will set back the foundational right Congress granted of racial equality in electoral opportunity.”
In response to this decision, many states in the South will immediately launch efforts to redraw their maps. According to an NPR analysis, there are 15 districts across the South at risk for elimination. Louisiana’s governor has already said that he plans to suspend the state’s Primary Election, even though absentee ballots have already gone out — and early voting is scheduled to begin in a few days — in order to rapidly redraw the state's Congressional map.
Louisiana isn’t the first state to be gerrymandered, and it likely won’t be the last. The best way to secure equal representation is to show up and vote for it, so check your voter registration and make your plan to vote today.
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