Civil rights groups have sent a letter to Gov. John Bel Edwards urging him to veto bills passed by the legislature that they say would fail to expand minority representation in Louisiana congressional districts.
Groups including the ACLU of Louisiana and the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund say that House Bill 1 and Senate Bill 5 run contrary to federal law and the idea that everyone’s vote should be equal.
“HB 1 and SB 5 run afoul of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 because they fail to provide Black voters in Louisiana with an equal opportunity to participate in the political process and elect candidates of their choice,” the Feb. 18 letter states. “As such, we strongly and respectfully urge you to veto HB 1 and SB 5.”
The letter from the civil rights groups, some of whom seem poised to file a lawsuit over the congressional maps if they’re approved, notes that there is only one majority-minority congressional district out of six in the maps. But the state population is nearly one-third Black, and the white population remains “dramatically overrepresented,” the civil rights groups say.
John Sutherlin, a political science professor at the University of Louisiana Monroe, said it’s unlikely that either side would budge on the issue.
“The reality that will set in is whether or not Gov. Edwards has … a veto-proof position so that his veto wouldn’t be overridden,” Sutherlin told the Louisiana Record. “... You can almost count on a lawsuit, and the (U.S.) Justice Department is likely to be sympathetic to it.”
Based on historical voting patterns, African-Americans do not have a reasonable chance of electing someone to Congress in the state outside of District 2, he said.
“There’s going to be a strong case to be made that at least two of the seats in Congress should at least have the potential to elect (a minority representative),” Sutherlin said.
The legislature, meanwhile, has received criticism for hiring a private law firm, BakerHostetler, at a cost of at least $10,000 per month for redistricting advice. The money, however, is probably well spent since redistricting is a difficult process requiring specialized expertise, according to Sutherlin.
“But if you anticipate there’s going to be a lawsuit, maybe you should make adjustments to your plan,” he suggested.