Mini-Post: Gerrymandering!

These was a good segment on PBS News Hour about gerrymandering on Monday night.

How GOP-led redistricting efforts may disenfranchise Black voters

By Geoff Bennett & Jonah Anderson

Republicans in North Carolina moved forward with a plan to redraw the state’s congressional map and eliminate its only swing district. It's part of a GOP push to maintain control of Congress through maps that have the effect of diluting Black political power and diminishing the voting strength of communities of color. Geoff Bennett discussed more with Janai Nelson of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.

Geoff Bennett:

Republican lawmakers in North Carolina moved forward with a proposal today to redraw their state's congressional map in a way that would eliminate its only swing district.

The mid-decade redistricting is part of a nationwide push by President Trump and his Republican allies to help the GOP maintain control of Congress in next year's elections, often through maps that have the effect of diluting Black political power and diminishing the voting strength of communities of color.

Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court appeared willing to issue a ruling that could further that effort during arguments in a Louisiana redistricting case.

NAACP Legal Defense Fund president Janai Nelson argued the case before the court in defense of Louisiana voters, and she joins us now.

Thanks for being with us.

Janai Nelson, President and Director-Counsel, NAACP Legal Defense Fund: Thank you. Happy to be here.

[...]

Geoff Bennett:

And, as we mentioned, North Carolina Republicans are moving forward with this plan to effectively oust one of the state's three Black members of Congress by carving up an area of Eastern North Carolina in this congressional map, and this district happens to have a large Black population.

So how does that square with what constitutes racial dilution under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act?

Janai Nelson:

Well, it's pretty squarely a violation of the act, as far as I can tell. It is using Black voters as a means for gaining political power or partisan control.

And while the Supreme Court did say in another case, Rucho v. Common Cause, that it will not entertain any partisan gerrymandering claims, racial gerrymandering is still unlawful and it's still justiciable by the court, meaning that those claims are still viable before the court.

And I can't imagine how this map in North Carolina can achieve its partisan goals lawfully in the way that they're trying to do it now without violating the rights of Black voters. And that's why we really need section 2, because Section 2 protects voters from being exploited by politicians or people who simply want to perpetuate discrimination.

Let's face it, the Republicans are sweettalking the judges... no we are not doing this because of diluting the Black vote but we are doing it because of political reasons! It just happens that the Democratic voters are Black.

It all boils down to will the justices believe the song and dance.