Texas Federal Court Imposes Preclearance on City of Pasadena

Texas Federal Court Imposes Preclearance on City of Pasadena

By EditorJan 08, 2017
Pasadena, Texas - The United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas in this ruling invalidated the city's move from an eight-member district redistricting map to a mixed map of six single member districts and two at-large seats for electing its city council.  The court's finding of minority vote dilution (of Hispanic voters) under section 2 of the Voting Rights Act includes an order to subject the city to preclearance requirements, which would mean election officials must clear any future redistricting changes to the Justice Department for approval.  Read the initial case filing by plaintiffs here. There were several…
Local Redistricting, NEWS, Race in Redistricting, Redistricting, Redistricting Race Rules, Voting Rights Act, , , , ,
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ACLU Warns of Voter Intimidation in Northern California County

ACLU Warns of Voter Intimidation in Northern California County

By EditorJun 17, 2016
California - The ACLU of California issued this press release (below) last week regarding the possible voter intimidation of Hmong (voters whose ethnic origins are from the mountainous regions of China and Vietnam) living in the northern regions of the state. Media Contact: (415) 621-2493 (press@aclunc.org) Since last Friday, the ACLU of California’s Voting Rights Project has been working on a grave situation in California’s northern most county – Siskiyou County – home to a large community of Hmong Americans, hundreds of whom are newly registered voters. We have reason to believe that since last Wednesday, the sheriff and other county officials have been engaged in a targeted voter intimidation campaign against…
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City in Orange County California Skips Court and Abolishes At-Large Voting

City in Orange County California Skips Court and Abolishes At-Large Voting

By EditorJun 16, 2016
San Juan Capistrano, CA - This town of around 35,000 in Orange County, California boasts a burgeoning Latino population of nearly 40%. City council members have been historically elected at-large by city voters, but a recent lawsuit field by a Latino voting rights group sparked debate and in the end, city officials agreed to elect council members by district; five districts to be exact.       The elections for the districts are staggered; two seats will be up this year. The remaining in 2018. Once all of the districts are in place, Latinos will comprise a substantial portion of two districts,…
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Augusta City Election Officials Perplexed at Running Elections Without DOJ Supervision

Augusta City Election Officials Perplexed at Running Elections Without DOJ Supervision

By EditorJan 28, 2016
In this local news story, election officials in Augusta City, GA remain befuddled about how to proceed with elections without having to report to the Justice Dept. on their every move. Apparently, the preclearance process has become such an institution in the city, official are at a loss on how to proceed. https://youtu.be/-LCuc1lRx8M
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Lawsuit Alleges Prison Gerrymandering in Florida County

Lawsuit Alleges Prison Gerrymandering in Florida County

By EditorApr 08, 2015
The ACLU of Florida has launched a salvo against prison gerrymandering. It filed this lawsuit against a Florida county's inclusion of a state prison in its legislative map. The press release is below. March 9, 2015 MIAMI, FL – Today, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Florida filed a federal lawsuit challenging an election system in Jefferson County, Florida which counts the inmate population of a state prison in the drawing of district maps. The lawsuit, filed today in the U.S. District Court in Tallahassee, states that by treating the approximately 1,157 inmates at the Jefferson Correctional Institution (JCI)…
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ACLU Files Voting Rights Lawsuit in Fullerton, CA

ACLU Files Voting Rights Lawsuit in Fullerton, CA

By EditorMar 19, 2015
Fullerton, CA: The ACLU  filed a lawsuit Wednesday on behalf of Asian voters in the city of Fullerton, California. The suit alleges that Fullerton's at-large style elections impede the ability of Asian voters to elect their preferred candidates. Unlike, its lawsuit in Yakima, WA, this complaint is based on the California Voting Rights Act as opposed to the federal law. Read the ACLU's release from Wednesday below: Paik v. City of Fullerton is a lawsuit alleging that the City of Fullerton’s at-large elections violate the California Voting Rights Act (CVRA), which prevents cities from imposing at-large elections that deny minority communities the…
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Los Angeles City Council Redistricting Upheld by Federal Court

Los Angeles City Council Redistricting Upheld by Federal Court

By EditorFeb 25, 2015
Los Angeles - City Council President Herb Wesson was vindicated by a federal court's ruling that the council's controversial 2012 redistricting map was not an unconstitutional racial gerrymander.  Despite so-called damning video evidence submitted by plaintiffs that showed Wesson telling an audience that the map "guaranteed" at least two minority council members going forward, the court found the districts in question to be racially diverse and drawn in accordance with traditional redistricting principles. In the end, the court did not believe the entire council had racially discriminatory goals when drawing the map. Read the Article here.
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Justice Dept. Forced to “Drop the Ball” in Some Local Election Controversies

By EditorAug 06, 2013
Before June 25, the Justice Dept. had many balls in the air as it negotiated hundreds of preclearance submissions from local jurisdictions covered under section 5 of the Voting Rights Act. These entities seek approval for any and all election changes; from redistricting maps of council districts to polling place changes. The Supreme Court changed all of that when it invalidated the coverage formula for section 5, effectively dropping all of those balls the Justice Dept. had in the air. The resulting mess from the sudden halt of an extensive administrative reporting system is bound to have some unforeseen outcomes.…
Redistricting, Redistricting Litigation, Redistricting Race Rules, Uncategorized,
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