The Chamberlain Network Demands State Leaders Defend the Right to Vote of All Americans After Supreme Court Ruling Overturns Voting Rights
Atlanta, GA - On Wednesday, the Supreme Court ruled in Louisiana v. Callais, a decision that substantially weakened Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, one of the last federal tools that protects voters of color from discriminatory maps. The decision gutted the federal protection that has stopped states from drawing maps that dilute the votes of Black and brown Americans. Under the new standard, voters must prove lawmakers acted with racially discriminatory intent.
“By changing how states can now draw their congressional boundaries and diluting the voting power of historically marginalized groups, the Supreme Court is setting off a race to the bottom that will have long-term, damaging consequences to our representative Republic,” said Chris Purdy, CEO of The Chamberlain Network. “State leaders must now step up for the rights of all their citizens, not just those who look and vote like them.”
Since the ruling on Wednesday, state legislatures across the country have signaled they will use the opportunity to dramatically redraw their congressional district boundaries in ways that break the political power of minority groups with the goal of creating a partisan advantage in the ongoing and irresponsible gerrymandering fight that has gripped our country. Florida's legislature passed a new congressional map that could flip up to four seats. The President publicly called on Tennessee to follow, and lawmakers in Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, and Texas have signaled they may pursue similar efforts.
Most alarmingly, the governor of Louisiana has called its legislature to suspend its May 16 primaries — after early voting had already begun — so it can redraw its districts. This will affect voters who have already cast their ballots, including military and overseas voters whose ballots were printed and sent out weeks ago. It also sets a dangerous precedent for an executive to postpone or cancel an election for partisan purposes.
We believe every eligible voter should be able to cast a ballot, every lawful vote should be counted, and election outcomes should reflect the will of the voters — not the preferences of whoever drew the map. We call on state representatives to act responsibly and protect the rights of all their citizens by rejecting efforts to dilute the voices of their constituents.
