The conservative-controlled Supreme Court issued a controversial ruling Wednesday that critics warn may “demolish” restrictions around racially discriminatory voting policies — but one voting rights expert believes the court’s decision may very well end up helping Democrats at the ballot box.
In a 6-3 decision, the Supreme Court ruled that Louisiana state lawmakers would have to redraw their congressional maps, and in doing so, rendered Section 2 of the 1965 Voting Rights Act (VRA) “ineffective.” Section 2 was established to explicitly prohibit racially discriminatory voting policies, including the adoption of racially gerrymandered congressional district maps.
With the court’s decision, however, Max Flugrath, senior communications director for the voting rights advocacy organization Fair Fight Action, told The New Republic Fridaythat Democrats could now redraw as many as 22 additional congressional seats in time for the 2028 elections, enough to “offset Republican gains, even in a maximalist GOP redistricting scenario,” the outlet reported.
“Democrats have a clear path to neutralize this GOP power grab if they want to take it,” Flugrath told The New Republic. “This is the ‘break glass in case of emergency’ moment for American democracy.”
Flugrath’s claim was based on a new analysis by Fair Fight Action obtained by The New Republic, which the outlet claimed is currently “circulating among Democratic leadership aides and outside groups.”
“Twenty-two House seats across seven states may sound like a heavy lift,” Flugrath continued. “But our analysis shows it’s well within reach if blue-state governors and legislatures squeeze every potential seat out of the maps.”
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