Voting Rights 101 Vivian Zhu

With VotingRights101 Gerrymandering the upcoming is one of the most midterm elections of important issues in 2022 approaching, it is more regards to voting rights relevant than ever to discuss voting rights issues and dilution, with landmark Supreme Court that Americans face every time they cast a ballot. cases such as Shaw v. Reno (1993) and Baker v.

As most people are aware: voter ID laws, literacy tests, Shaw (1962) setting limitations on how legislatures poll taxes and gerrymandering are all examples of voter can draw redistricting lines. This does not mean that dilution practices conducted either historically or in the gerrymandering does not still exist; one could argue that present day. There are so many issues to discuss when it it exists in every district. In a country where the majority comes to voting rights — including the electoral system at of the population lives in urban areas — but coexist large — but which ones should we be made aware of as the with large rural districts — prioritizing compactness 2022 midterm elections predict a shift in partisan power and “equal” areas within each district will never be fair in Congress? for minority groups. One recent case with redistricting During the height of the Civil Rights regarded Broome County, which was lumped Movement, the Voting Rights Act was passed to into a different district after 10 years based on the limit the discriminatory practices that impacted 2020 census count. An interest group’s lawsuit minority groups while voting — especially in the has claimed that the new district has illegally Deep South. While it did prohibit some examples of disproportionated representation as a result of misconduct, people continued to exploit loopholes a “miscalculated” population that would lean the and constructed new, creative plans (such as district in favor of Republicans. Many cases of gerrymandering) to avoid violating the statute. gerrymandering are still difficult to challenge on Thus, the Supreme Court established conditions a constitutional basis, but it does not mean that to challenge election schemes, including ongoing they don’t exist. ones; since the 1960s, at-large and multi-member Overall, it’s important to be aware of the elections have been challenged for allegedly election schemes that impact your voting abilities. violating the Voting Rights Act, and the frequency Researching the election schemes that occur of these challenges show how often voter dilution within each of your districts can change your in minority groups occurs in the United States. view on the people in power and the people who Section 2 of the VRA is still relevant for minority draw redistricting lines. The argument that “my groups today, as the ongoing case of Merrill v. vote doesn’t count” within urban areas is never a Milligan (2022) challenges the redistricting plans good enough reason to not vote, especially when that cracked and packed Black voters in Alabama. an increasingly conservative Supreme Court and It’s important to be aware of the election systems Congress have already made landmark decisions your districts use, especially if your vote is being diluted as a minority group. and legislation. By Vivian Zhu