PROGRAM SUCCESS – AUGUST 2010 PAGE 7
Fighting To Protect Voting Rights
Congressman John Lewis Joins Congresswoman Corrine Brown
to Preserve the Voting Rights Act
“One goal of the Voting Rights Act was remediation of past discrimination and the legal rights of many,
many residents of the 3rd District to elect a person of their choice would be violated if this intent were
ignored in favor of districts that look better on a map. I am sure you recall that before 1992, the last African
American from Florida in Congress was Josiah Walls of Gainesville, who lost his seat in 1876. We must not
return to the time when our voice cannot be heard and I will do everything in my power to prevent that from
happening.”
-Congresswoman Corrine Brown
Congressman John
Lewis joins
Congresswoman Brown
in traveling the Florida
3rd District to inform
the public of the
importance of keeping
the Voting Right Act
viable. Congressman
Lewis recounts his
experiences on the Civil
Rights Trail and states
he does not want to see
all the accomplishments
repealed because of
complacency.
As you know, along with Congressman Mario Diaz- Balart, I have filed suit to block the so-called Fair Districts initiatives from
appearing on the ballot this fall. We believe the proposed amendments to Florida’s constitution would violate the 15th Amendment
to the United States Constitution and the federal Voting Rights Act and we brought this lawsuit to protect the rights of our
constituents.
As you are well aware, the 15th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution provides that the right to vote shall not be denied or abridged
on the basis of race or color. The Voting Rights Act of 1964 came about because existing federal anti-discrimination laws were not
being enforced by states or local jurisdictions. Diluting minority voting power through redistricting is one practice Congress
intended to end by passing the Voting Rights Act.
The voting Rights Act (“VRA”) ensures that political processes are equally open to participation by racial or language minorities.
Under the law, these groups must have “an equal opportunity to participate in the political process and to elect representatives of
their choice.” (See 42 U.S.C.§ 1973(b).) A redistricting plan violates the VRA if it diminishes the ability of minority voters to
“elect their preferred candidates of choice.” (See Bartlett v. Strickland, 129 S.Ct. 1231 (2009).)
Generally, Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act requires the creation or preservation of majority-minority districts where the minority
population is sufficiently large and geographically compact so as to constitute a majority, the minority group is politically cohesive,
and there is evidence of racial bloc voting that defeats the opportunity of minority voters to elect candidates of choice. (See
Thornburg v. Gingles, 478 U.S. 30 (1986).)
See VOTER RIGHTS page 30