ICYMI: VRA Plaintiffs Ask District Court to Reject Gerrymandered Alabama Congressional Map
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Jena Doyle
doyle@redistrictingfoundation.org
ICYMI: VRA Plaintiffs Ask District Court to Reject Gerrymandered Alabama Congressional Map
The map includes just 1 Black opportunity district, defying court order
Washington, D.C. – Yesterday, plaintiffs supported by the National Redistricting Foundation (NRF) in Allen v. Milligan filed a reply brief to the defendants’ response to objections against the Alabama Legislature’s proposed remedial congressional map. The map contains just one Black opportunity district, despite the fact that the Supreme Court of the United States upheld the lower court’s decision that in Alabama such a map is a violation of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act (VRA).
The Alabama Legislature drew a map that includes just one Black opportunity district, with a second congressional district that has a Black Voting Age Population (BVAP) of only 39.93 percent—an amount that falls far short of what is necessary and required to allow Black voters in Alabama an equal opportunity to elect candidates of their choice pursuant to Section 2 of the VRA.
Olivia Mendoza, the Director of Litigation and Policy for the NRF, released the following statement:
“Alabama’s new congressional map clearly fails to remedy the state’s violation of the Voting Rights Act, and was drawn in blatant disregard to both the district court’s order and the recent decision from the United States Supreme Court. On this map, Black Alabamians have again been denied the opportunity to elect a candidate of their choice in two districts, as they deserve and the court has ordered in accordance with the law. And again, they are relying on the judiciary to protect their rights as citizens. The district court must do that and soundly reject the legislature’s map.”
ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND:
The NRF, the 501(c)(3) affiliate of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee (NDRC), supports the map developed by the plaintiff groups who succeeded on the Section 2 claim at issue in this case, what is officially titled “VRA Plaintiffs’ Remedial Plan.” The VRA Plaintiffs’ Remedial Plan provides fair and legally compliant representation to voters by including two congressional districts that have a Black Voting Age Population (BVAP) of above 50 percent, which is necessary for these districts to effectively provide an equal opportunity for Black voters in Alabama to elect their candidates of choice as required by the VRA. And it does this while making minimal changes to the state’s current map. More information about the VRA Plaintiffs’ Remedial Plan can be found here.
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