The Ministry of Justice believes that the Republican State has redrawn its electoral districts so as to dilute the vote of the black and Hispanic populations.
Le Monde with AFP
The passage of arms, in the United States, between the Republican State of Texas and the administration of the Democratic President Joe Biden knows a new episode. Already symbolized by a legal battle concerning a Texane law on abortion, the struggle is also transposed on the field of electoral division.
Washington accuses Texas to have redesigned its constituencies in order to dilute the vote of black and Hispanic minorities, more inclined, in general, to give their voices to the Democrats. “The Ministry of Justice is continuing Texas for violation of the Federal Voting Law, adopted in 1965 after the Great Mobilization for Civil Rights, said Monday, December 6, the General Attorney of the United States, Merrick Garland, at a press conference.
Between 2010 and 2020, the Texan population increased by 4 million people, 95% of whom belong to minorities. Under this population growth, Texas has earned two new congress seats, detailed number three of the Department of Justice, Vanita Gupta. But his authorities have redesigned this year the constituencies in such a way that “these two new seats will be elected by a majority of whites,” she judged.
Georgia also continued
In the United States, electoral divisions are redefined in each state after each census. The ruling party often benefits itself up to consolidate the opposed camp’s voters in certain constituencies, in order to lower their influence elsewhere.
The Supreme Court of the United States, however, deemed to cut ridings on ethnic criteria was contrary to the Constitution. The Ministry of Justice therefore requested, Monday, the courts to prohibit Texas from conducting elections with its new division, and to impose it from drawing another.
In November, the department had already filed a complaint against a Texas electoral law, accused of restricting the assistance provided to voters with disabilities or illiterates. In June, he had also launched prosecutions against the authorities of Georgia, accused of wanting to restrict access to the vote of African Americans.
Since the beginning of the year, the republican-headed states have increased electoral reforms under the pretext of fighting fraud. But the Democrats denounce attacks on the right to vote of minorities, which prevail in their favor.