Biden administration files 3rd lawsuit in Texas over voting

[ificandream]

Source: Associated Press/

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The Biden administration on Thursday filed a third lawsuit over voting rights in Texas, keeping America’s biggest red state at the center of a fight over new and in many cases more restrictive election laws passed last year by Republicans.

The newest challenge by the Justice Department, which seeks to undo newly drawn county precincts in the tourist hub of Galveston, is the first under Biden to take aim at local voting changes in Texas. But the claims — that Black and Hispanic voters will be disenfranchised — are the same.

Galveston County, which includes the popular island, is divided into four precincts, only one of which had a majority of Black and Hispanic residents. New maps approved by the county’s governing board last year made white voters the majority in all precincts.

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“The impact of the adopted plan will be to dilute minority voting strength in Galveston County by eliminating the equal opportunity to elect candidates of choice that minority voters previously enjoyed,” the Justice Department argues in the suit.



Read more: https://apnews.com/article/voting-rights-texas-lawsuits-voting-donald-trump-3b59d7965be6d822a1be1041e0bcca48

[LetMyPeopleVote]

1. DOJ sues Galveston County, alleging redrawn commissioner precincts dilute Black, Hispanic voting

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

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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]

2. This is the redistricting complaint flied against Texas

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[LetMyPeopleVote]

3. This is the Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act filed against Texas

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[LetMyPeopleVote]

4. The Texas Civil Rights Project is joining this litigation

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