WASHINGTON | The administration of Democrat Joe Biden filed a complaint Monday against the Republican state of Texas, accused of redesigning its electoral districts in order to dilute the vote of black and Hispanic minorities.
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“The Department of Justice is suing Texas for violating federal suffrage law,” passed in 1965 after the great civil rights mobilization, Minister Merrick Garland said at a press conference.
Between 2010 and 2020, the Texan population grew by four million people, 95% of whom belong to minorities. By virtue of this population growth, Texas gained two new seats in Congress, detailed the number 3 of the Department of Justice Vanita Gupta.
But his authorities redesigned in 2021 the constituencies in such a way that “these two new seats will be elected by a majority of white voters”, she ruled.
In the United States, electoral boundaries are redefined in each state after each census. The ruling party often takes the opportunity to regroup the voters of the opposite camp in certain constituencies, in order to reduce their influence elsewhere.
However, the United States Supreme Court ruled that dividing constituencies along ethnic lines was unconstitutional.
The Department of Justice therefore asked the courts on Monday to ban Texas from conducting elections with its new division and to force it to draw another.
Last month, the ministry had already filed a complaint against a Texas election law, accused of restricting assistance provided to disabled or illiterate voters.
In June, he also launched proceedings against the authorities in Georgia, accused of wanting to restrict access to the vote of African Americans.
Since the start of the year, states led by Republicans have stepped up electoral reforms under the pretext of fighting fraud. But Democrats denounce attacks on the voting rights of minorities who vote in majority for them.