Of all the assaults raining down on the Black community, the dismantling of voting rights by the Trump administration may be the most serious. The battering comes from multiple directions, with gerrymandering in the forefront. This old weapon is being wielded to turn back the clock on racial justice.
Gerrymandering rigs electoral district maps to unfairly favor certain candidates or parties. Historically, it has been used to water down Black voting power.
In August, at Trump’s request, Texas redrew its congressional maps so Republicans could gain five more House seats. Three more red states followed suit, and a slew of others are planning to do so. In response, the California legislature crafted Proposition 50, adopted on Nov. 4, to temporarily redraw congressional districts to shift seats in favor of Democrats.
The Freedom Socialist Party in California urged voters to reject the Proposition, saying, “During the civil rights movement, people fought long and hard to win voting rights. Many were injured or jailed and some were killed. Gerrymandering has been one of the main right-wing strategies used to undermine that victory. To legitimize it and turn it loose on the whole country is simply wrong.”
Gerrymandering is also at the core of a case where the U.S. Supreme Court seems poised to strike down part of the 1965 Voting Rights Act (VRA). Louisiana v. Callais argues that the VRA provision which bans racial discrimination in voting should be eliminated. Trump’s Justice Department agrees that protections against racial discrimination are no longer constitutional.
This section of the VRA is the only brake on racist gerrymandering. Striking it down would disenfranchise voters of color and threaten the rights of other oppressed constituencies. Conservatives are already challenging the legality of same-sex marriage and some extremists are even discussing repealing the 19th Amendment that gave women the vote.
From voter ID laws to registration purges and cuts to early voting, the right-wing campaign to erode voting rights would roll back generations of progress won through struggle and collective organizing. But the answer to antidemocratic corruption isn’t more corruption.
Proportional representation and strong ballot access would improve parity for marginalized voices. But reforms like these and the Voting Rights Act can be wiped off the books. The working class, many of whom are people of color, cannot rely on capitalist parties to defend civil liberties. But a labor party that represents the interests of this majority could organize a fightback.
Congressional district? Or Rorschach ink blot test?
Gerrymandering often entails “packing” a group of voters. Texas’ 33rd district (shown here) is an egregious example, according to Statista. Its convoluted shape combines Black and Latinx majority precincts from Dallas and Tarrant counties into a single district, diluting the overall influence of those voters.
