Politics
Supreme Court Poised To Redraw State District Maps In GOP’s Favor
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The Supreme Court is considering a case that could shift electoral power from Democratic strongholds to rural Republicans by forcing states to redraw legislative district maps.
Two Texas Republicans who live in rural districts say their votes are being undercounted because districts are drawn up according to the total number of people there, rather than the total number of voters.
Their lawyers cited two Texas state Senate districts as an example in arguments before the court Tuesday. Both districts have 800,000 residents, but a far greater proportion of residents (574,000) are eligible to vote in one of the districts, giving voters in the other district (372,000) more clout.
The plaintiffs say the disparity violates their right to “equal protection of the laws,” and their lawyers argued districts should be drawn according to the number of eligible voters, not total number of residents. Districts in all 50 states have been and are currently drawn based on U.S. Census data population totals that include all residents.
The conservative members of the Court apparently agree and “seem poised” to rule in favor of the Texas residents, reported the Los Angeles Times. Chief Justice John Roberts says he doesn’t see a justification for the “huge disparity” resulting from the difference between the number of voters in districts.
An Obama administration lawyer argued drawing the districts without counting every resident violates the Constitution, because it’s been understood to require “equal representation for equal numbers of people.” And a lawyer for Texas pointed out a change would require every state to redraw its district maps.
The change will be especially dramatic in areas where large populations of illegal immigrants reside, such as California, Texas and Florida. Major cities, including New York, will also be affected in a way that favors Republicans.
Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton weighed in Wednesday. “The Supreme Court should protect political equality and turn away this harmful and reckless attempt to write off so many,” she says in a statement.
The justices reportedly suggested they could hand down a limited ruling that will not force every state to immediately redraw districts, instead allowing them to wait until the next census.
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