DOJ Says Texas County's Redistricting Plan Denies Equal Representation To Minority Voters

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

Source: Forbes

Topline

The Department of Justice filed a lawsuit Thursday against Galveston County, Texas, alleging that its redistricting plan discriminates against Black and Hispanic voters by eliminating the only district where those voters would be able to elect a candidate of their choice, in the latest case alleging racial gerrymandering in voting maps drawn following the 2020 Census.

Key Facts

In a complaint filed with the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas, the DOJ alleged that the county violated the section of the Voting Rights Act (VRA) prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, and asked the court to block the county from conducting elections under its current map and to order the county to create a new one complying with the act.

The DOJ alleged that Galveston County, Galveston County Commissioners Court and County Judge Mark Henry intentionally excluded Commissioner Stephen Holmes, the sole minority member on the commissioners court and representative of the county’s only “minority opportunity-to-elect” district, from participating in the creation of the new map.

The county’s redistricting process was far more drastic than was required by the new Census data, entirely redrawing the county map when shifting a single voting precinct from one district to another would have been adequate, the DOJ alleged.

The complaint alleged that the county has regularly attempted to exclude Black and Hispanic voters of the past three decades, a contention supported by a 2007 district court finding that the county had violated the VRA by failing to hire an adequate number of Spanish-speaking poll officials and to provide vital election information to Spanish-speaking voters.



Read more: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/doj-says-texas-countys-redistricting-plan-denies-equal-representation-to-minority-voters/ar-AAVsIER?li=BBnb7Kz

[aeromanKC]

1. Looks like another secret docket case for SCOTUS

Eyes roll emoji

[SheltieLover]

2. That's the whole point

[TexasTowelie]

3. Thanks.

I read about the gerrymandering that was occurring in Galveston county, but the newspaper keeps most of its articles behind a paywall so it is difficult to keep up with the case.

[LeftInTX]

4. This case only effects four local races

Each county is divided in four county commissioner precincts.

At the end of the census, the commissioner precincts are redrawn.
The federal govt will likely win, but it won't effect any state or federal races.

[ck4829]

5. Kick

[LetMyPeopleVote]

6. DOJ files voting rights lawsuit against Galveston County alleging discrimination

Galveston County is a very conservative part of Texas where "born on the Island" means that you are white and from an old family in the county. This gerrymander is so bad that it is clearly a racial gerrymander

Link to tweet

The Department of Justice on Thursday sued Galveston County over its new redistricting map, accusing Republican county officials of violating the Voting Rights Act last year when they carved up their Commissioners Court precincts into four majority-white districts.

The redrawn map dismantles the precinct represented by Commissioner Stephen Holmes, the only Democrat and minority member of the court, all but ensuring his defeat in 2024 if the map remains intact.

Under the new layout, Republicans are poised to gain a 5-0 majority on the governing body for Galveston County, where 38 percent of voters cast their ballots for Democrat Joe Biden.

In a 25-page complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas, Justice Department officials alleged that Galveston County’s freshly drawn boundaries dilute the voting strength of Black and Hispanic voters, denying them “an equal opportunity to participate in the political process.” The lawsuit accuses the county of violating Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, which broadly bars racially discriminatory voting practices, including those that minimize the voting strength of racial minority groups.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

7. The Texas Civil Rights Project is joining this litigation

Link to tweet