The Division of Justice (DOJ) has filed a lawsuit in opposition to Houston County, Ga., alleging its course of for electing its board of commissioners violates Black voters’ rights.
The county makes use of an at-large voting methodology, which often means candidates are elected by a plurality of all voters within the jurisdiction.
However in accordance with the DOJ, the strategy means Black voters have much less alternative to elect candidates of alternative, violating the Voting Rights Act.
Although Black residents make up greater than 31 p.c of Houston County’s voting-age inhabitants, the DOJ’s lawsuit argues there are “geographically and socially distinct Black and White communities.”
The final time a Black American was on the board was in 1992, regardless of Black voters within the county constantly voting for Black candidates.
Since 2002, the DOJ says, no less than 85 p.c of Black voters have supported Black candidates usually elections for the board of commissioners. However the white inhabitants often defeats the popular candidate of Black voters.
“The Voting Rights Act guarantees that all eligible citizens have an equal opportunity to participate in the democratic process and to elect representatives of their choice, regardless of race or ethnicity,” Kristen Clarke, assistant legal professional normal of the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division, mentioned in a press release.
The DOJ argues that altering how commissioners are elected may give Black voters extra alternative to elect candidates of their alternative.
If commissioners are elected from “fairly drawn single-member districts,” the DOJ argues, Black voters would have an equal alternative to elect a consultant of their option to the board.
The lawsuit seeks a federal court docket order requiring the county to implement a brand new methodology of electing the board of commissioners.
“The Justice Department has a solemn duty to protect the right to vote by enforcing the Voting Rights Act and ensuring that all communities have a fair and equal chance to participate,” Clarke mentioned.
