Majority-minority districts

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Redistricting
State-by-state
redistricting procedures
Majority-minority districts
Congressional district demographics
United States census,
2020
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A majority-minority district is a district in which a racial minority group or groups comprise a majority of the district's total population. Using data provided in the United States Census Bureau's 2022 American Community Survey and based on districts enacted after the 2020 census, the United States was home to 136 congressional majority-minority districts. This represented approximately 31% of the nation's 435 U.S. House districts.[1][2][3][4][5][6]

Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act mandates that no "standard, practice, or procedure shall be imposed or applied by any State or political subdivision to deny or abridge the right of any citizen of the United States to vote on account of race or color." In the context of redistricting, federal law provides that majority-minority districts can be created in order to prevent the dilution of minorities' voting strength in compliance with the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Thornburg v. Gingles, a case decided by the Supreme Court of the United States in 1986, established a three-part test for proving whether vote dilution in violation of the Voting Rights Act has occurred in a district or districts.[7]

Note: Data about majority-minority districts is based on information compiled from the United States Census Bureau's American Community Survey estimates.

Background

See also: Voting Rights Act

Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 mandates that electoral district lines cannot be drawn in such a manner as to "improperly dilute minorities' voting power."[8]

No voting qualification or prerequisite to voting, or standard, practice, or procedure shall be imposed or applied by any State or political subdivision to deny or abridge the right of any citizen of the United States to vote on account of race or color.[9]
—Voting Rights Act of 1965[10]

Federal law permits states and other political subdivisions to create majority-minority districts in order to comply with Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act.[11]

Thornburg v. Gingles

See also: Thornburg v. Gingles

In 1982, the North Carolina state legislature approved redistricting plans for the North Carolina State Senate and the North Carolina House of Representatives. The maps were challenged in United States District Court. The challengers alleged that the new maps "impaired black citizens' ability to elect representatives of their choice in violation of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act." The district court ruled that six legislative districts violated the Voting Rights Act "by diluting the power of the black vote." The decision was appealed to the Supreme Court of the United States.[12][13][14]

On June 30, 1986, the high court ruled unanimously in Thornburg v. Gingles that five of the aforementioned six districts "discriminated against blacks by diluting the power of their collective vote." Justice William J. Brennan, Jr., wrote the majority opinion, which largely upheld the district court's original ruling.[12][13][14]

The District Court in this case carefully considered the totality of the circumstances and found that in each district racially polarized voting; the legacy of official discrimination in voting matters, education, housing, employment, and health services; and the persistence of campaign appeals to racial prejudice acted in concert with the multimember districting scheme to impair the ability of geographically insular and politically cohesive groups of black voters to participate equally in the political process and to elect candidates of their choice.[9]
—Justice William J. Brennan, Jr.

In Thornburg v. Gingles, the court also established three criteria that must be met in order "to prove claims of vote dilution under section 2 [of the Voting Rights Act]:"[12][13][14]

  1. "The minority group must be able to demonstrate that it is sufficiently large and geographically compact to constitute a majority in a single-member district."
  2. "The minority group must be able to show that it is politically cohesive."
  3. "The minority must be able to demonstrate that the white majority votes sufficiently as a bloc to enable it usually to defeat the minority’s preferred candidate."

Majority-minority districts in 2022

The table below provides demographic data for each majority-minority district in the United States House of Representatives as of 2022. This was the most recent data available as of September 2023. For the purposes of this article, a majority-minority district is defined as any district in which a minority group or collection of minority groups comprise a simple majority of the district's population.

In 2022, there were 136 majority-minority districts in the United States House of Representatives in 27 states. California had 41 such districts, more than any other state. See the table below for further details.[15]

Majority-minority districts in the United States, 2022
District Hispanic or Latino White Black or African American American Indian and Alaska Native Asian Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander Other Multiple
races
Representative's
party
(2023)
Alabama's 7th District 3.39% 36.82% 55.64% 0.21% 1.20% 0.00% 0.37% 2.36% Electiondot.png Democratic
Arizona's 3rd District 64.62% 18.88% 9.15% 1.96% 2.39% 0.21% 0.37% 2.41% Electiondot.png Democratic
Arizona's 7th District 61.85% 27.03% 3.62% 2.25% 2.00% 0.18% 0.48% 2.60% Electiondot.png Democratic
California's 4th District 32.24% 49.85% 2.92% 0.21% 8.13% 0.39% 0.43% 5.82% Electiondot.png Democratic
California's 6th District 24.10% 46.90% 8.43% 0.41% 11.71% 0.86% 0.87% 6.72% Electiondot.png Democratic
California's 7th District 27.42% 30.53% 10.05% 0.25% 23.36% 1.24% 1.07% 6.09% Electiondot.png Democratic
California's 8th District 35.28% 23.64% 14.67% 0.24% 18.03% 0.92% 1.18% 6.03% Electiondot.png Democratic
California's 9th District 42.65% 27.85% 7.22% 0.28% 17.27% 0.43% 0.76% 3.54% Electiondot.png Democratic
California's 10th District 18.61% 46.32% 4.66% 0.12% 23.17% 0.18% 0.88% 6.06% Electiondot.png Democratic
California's 11th District 15.02% 39.91% 4.74% 0.20% 32.23% 0.36% 0.80% 6.73% Electiondot.png Democratic
California's 12th District 21.90% 34.01% 15.03% 0.17% 21.23% 0.20% 0.94% 6.52% Electiondot.png Democratic
California's 13th District 66.58% 20.99% 2.84% 0.25% 6.55% 0.19% 0.29% 2.31% Ends.png Republican
California's 14th District 24.03% 24.39% 5.23% 0.15% 39.57% 1.06% 0.46% 5.10% Electiondot.png Democratic
California's 15th District 24.57% 27.95% 2.40% 0.13% 38.32% 1.27% 1.06% 4.30% Electiondot.png Democratic
California's 16th District 19.98% 42.20% 2.23% 0.15% 29.32% 0.24% 0.52% 5.36% Electiondot.png Democratic
California's 17th District 15.75% 19.84% 1.80% 0.20% 57.68% 0.32% 0.55% 3.85% Electiondot.png Democratic
California's 18th District 65.39% 17.08% 2.05% 0.17% 11.72% 0.41% 0.31% 2.87% Electiondot.png Democratic
California's 19th District 24.23% 48.65% 1.65% 0.12% 19.22% 0.40% 0.48% 5.25% Electiondot.png Democratic
California's 20th District 38.51% 46.16% 3.03% 0.38% 7.27% 0.19% 0.68% 3.78% Ends.png Republican
California's 21st District 63.62% 18.65% 4.54% 0.36% 9.81% 0.06% 0.52% 2.44% Electiondot.png Democratic
California's 22nd District 74.19% 14.84% 4.35% 0.31% 3.86% 0.10% 0.35% 2.00% Ends.png Republican
California's 23rd District 45.87% 36.46% 7.87% 0.41% 3.94% 0.56% 0.86% 4.02% Ends.png Republican
California's 24th District 38.40% 49.85% 1.38% 0.17% 4.81% 0.16% 0.72% 4.51% Electiondot.png Democratic
California's 25th District 66.90% 22.11% 4.54% 0.56% 3.50% 0.03% 0.23% 2.13% Electiondot.png Democratic
California's 26th District 44.84% 40.59% 1.77% 0.13% 8.01% 0.12% 0.87% 3.68% Electiondot.png Democratic
California's 27th District 45.53% 30.63% 9.62% 0.15% 9.54% 0.11% 0.74% 3.69% Ends.png Republican
California's 28th District 26.32% 26.76% 4.39% 0.09% 38.11% 0.26% 0.57% 3.51% Electiondot.png Democratic
California's 29th District 65.69% 19.81% 3.88% 0.21% 7.58% 0.06% 0.57% 2.20% Electiondot.png Democratic
California's 31st District 62.65% 12.62% 2.22% 0.30% 19.21% 0.14% 0.77% 2.09% Electiondot.png Democratic
California's 33rd District 63.58% 17.15% 8.59% 0.13% 7.09% 0.17% 0.67% 2.62% Electiondot.png Democratic
California's 34th District 65.28% 10.30% 4.05% 0.18% 17.56% 0.08% 0.39% 2.18% Electiondot.png Democratic
California's 35th District 66.89% 12.06% 5.89% 0.09% 11.88% 0.17% 0.75% 2.27% Electiondot.png Democratic
California's 37th District 56.24% 13.13% 20.07% 0.10% 6.30% 0.05% 0.75% 3.36% Electiondot.png Democratic
California's 38th District 61.02% 12.35% 1.70% 0.26% 22.10% 0.26% 0.78% 1.53% Electiondot.png Democratic
California's 39th District 64.15% 18.76% 7.97% 0.20% 5.55% 0.76% 0.31% 2.30% Electiondot.png Democratic
California's 40th District 25.13% 47.43% 1.52% 0.05% 20.00% 0.24% 0.52% 5.10% Ends.png Republican
California's 41st District 40.27% 40.08% 4.86% 0.27% 8.93% 0.12% 1.16% 4.31% Ends.png Republican
California's 42nd District 66.35% 17.22% 5.86% 0.21% 7.16% 0.41% 0.35% 2.44% Electiondot.png Democratic
California's 43rd District 58.09% 7.15% 21.55% 0.26% 8.86% 0.15% 0.69% 3.26% Electiondot.png Democratic
California's 44th District 61.14% 12.06% 10.72% 0.09% 11.22% 1.00% 0.54% 3.23% Electiondot.png Democratic
California's 45th District 30.85% 24.33% 2.10% 0.08% 38.62% 0.50% 0.29% 3.21% Ends.png Republican
California's 46th District 65.15% 14.62% 1.66% 0.23% 16.32% 0.16% 0.25% 1.61% Electiondot.png Democratic
California's 51st District 26.64% 45.03% 4.96% 0.11% 16.12% 0.42% 0.63% 6.10% Electiondot.png Democratic
California's 52nd District 62.14% 12.61% 7.14% 0.13% 13.68% 0.61% 0.48% 3.21% Electiondot.png Democratic
Florida's 9th District 52.99% 29.08% 9.66% 0.03% 4.12% 0.04% 0.60% 3.48% Electiondot.png Democratic
Florida's 10th District 30.27% 34.41% 24.75% 0.08% 4.72% 0.04% 0.92% 4.81% Electiondot.png Democratic
Florida's 14th District 28.71% 45.95% 16.80% 0.05% 3.81% 0.09% 0.56% 4.03% Electiondot.png Democratic
Florida's 15th District 28.34% 49.91% 12.87% 0.04% 4.52% 0.04% 0.59% 3.69% Ends.png Republican
Florida's 20th District 24.53% 19.69% 47.73% 0.12% 2.70% 0.00% 1.14% 4.09% Electiondot.png Democratic
Florida's 22nd District 27.53% 47.95% 18.10% 0.07% 2.67% 0.07% 0.87% 2.75% Electiondot.png Democratic
Florida's 24th District 39.73% 16.02% 39.05% 0.10% 1.47% 0.01% 0.74% 2.90% Electiondot.png Democratic
Florida's 25th District 45.00% 31.95% 14.68% 0.16% 3.79% 0.08% 0.89% 3.45% Electiondot.png Democratic
Florida's 26th District 73.39% 18.12% 5.65% 0.04% 0.96% 0.02% 0.40% 1.42% Ends.png Republican
Florida's 27th District 73.09% 17.63% 4.92% 0.08% 1.88% 0.03% 0.41% 1.97% Ends.png Republican
Florida's 28th District 73.06% 14.32% 8.68% 0.02% 1.48% 0.03% 0.52% 1.88% Ends.png Republican
Georgia's 2nd District 6.74% 39.05% 48.58% 0.25% 1.20% 0.06% 0.51% 3.60% Electiondot.png Democratic
Georgia's 4th District 9.53% 26.39% 54.33% 0.10% 5.48% 0.00% 0.29% 3.87% Electiondot.png Democratic
Georgia's 5th District 7.74% 34.95% 47.35% 0.08% 4.79% 0.03% 0.66% 4.41% Electiondot.png Democratic
Georgia's 7th District 22.00% 29.75% 30.43% 0.08% 13.30% 0.03% 0.57% 3.83% Electiondot.png Democratic
Georgia's 13th District 11.78% 14.62% 65.02% 0.08% 3.77% 0.12% 0.81% 3.81% Electiondot.png Democratic
Hawaii's 1st District 9.46% 14.72% 1.90% 0.14% 47.46% 7.54% 0.25% 18.53% Electiondot.png Democratic
Hawaii's 2nd District 12.77% 26.61% 1.39% 0.12% 21.80% 11.13% 0.50% 25.68% Electiondot.png Democratic
Illinois' 1st District 8.78% 37.24% 47.98% 0.16% 2.26% 0.01% 0.55% 3.02% Electiondot.png Democratic
Illinois' 2nd District 15.34% 34.38% 45.31% 0.03% 1.21% 0.03% 0.25% 3.46% Electiondot.png Democratic
Illinois' 3rd District 43.66% 40.86% 4.67% 0.15% 7.86% 0.01% 0.28% 2.51% Electiondot.png Democratic
Illinois' 4th District 66.63% 22.95% 4.61% 0.02% 4.35% 0.00% 0.19% 1.25% Electiondot.png Democratic
Illinois' 7th District 16.92% 29.80% 41.26% 0.12% 8.50% 0.09% 0.28% 3.02% Electiondot.png Democratic
Indiana's 7th District 13.13% 46.77% 32.52% 0.04% 2.03% 0.04% 0.73% 4.75% Electiondot.png Democratic
Louisiana's 2nd District 7.89% 27.14% 58.06% 0.33% 2.54% 0.02% 0.53% 3.50% Electiondot.png Democratic
Maryland's 4th District 24.73% 10.36% 55.05% 0.19% 5.21% 0.01% 0.80% 3.65% Electiondot.png Democratic
Maryland's 5th District 8.07% 42.90% 39.50% 0.14% 2.75% 0.06% 0.52% 6.05% Electiondot.png Democratic
Maryland's 7th District 7.00% 29.25% 56.01% 0.16% 3.15% 0.05% 0.69% 3.68% Electiondot.png Democratic
Maryland's 8th District 18.32% 43.81% 17.05% 0.12% 14.47% 0.03% 1.24% 4.97% Electiondot.png Democratic
Massachusetts' 7th District 22.47% 38.40% 20.15% 0.07% 11.02% 0.01% 1.31% 6.57% Electiondot.png Democratic
Michigan's 12th District 3.16% 46.83% 43.41% 0.07% 1.67% 0.00% 0.36% 4.50% Electiondot.png Democratic
Michigan's 13th District 10.20% 36.53% 44.81% 0.15% 3.41% 0.01% 0.48% 4.40% Electiondot.png Democratic
Mississippi's 2nd District 2.33% 30.72% 63.76% 0.35% 0.32% 0.01% 0.12% 2.39% Electiondot.png Democratic
Missouri's 1st District 3.66% 42.82% 44.79% 0.08% 3.37% 0.03% 0.48% 4.77% Electiondot.png Democratic
Nevada's 1st District 37.47% 37.44% 10.25% 0.29% 7.99% 0.56% 0.49% 5.51% Electiondot.png Democratic
Nevada's 3rd District 23.33% 42.02% 9.15% 0.26% 17.31% 0.76% 0.62% 6.53% Electiondot.png Democratic
Nevada's 4th District 35.87% 36.04% 14.72% 0.41% 6.07% 0.75% 0.61% 5.53% Electiondot.png Democratic
New Jersey's 6th District 25.12% 42.65% 11.25% 0.13% 17.37% 0.01% 0.69% 2.78% Electiondot.png Democratic
New Jersey's 8th District 51.74% 23.60% 8.33% 0.13% 10.72% 0.02% 2.22% 3.23% Electiondot.png Democratic
New Jersey's 9th District 42.71% 37.06% 8.06% 0.07% 8.14% 0.01% 1.13% 2.83% Electiondot.png Democratic
New Jersey's 10th District 21.59% 18.96% 46.79% 0.19% 6.58% 0.00% 1.71% 4.18% Electiondot.png Democratic
New Jersey's 12th District 21.28% 39.15% 15.08% 0.07% 20.51% 0.03% 0.61% 3.27% Electiondot.png Democratic
New Mexico's 1st District 44.00% 43.37% 2.02% 4.09% 2.63% 0.09% 0.44% 3.37% Electiondot.png Democratic
New Mexico's 2nd District 62.21% 27.20% 2.00% 4.19% 1.10% 0.01% 0.38% 2.92% Electiondot.png Democratic
New Mexico's 3rd District 44.45% 33.64% 1.21% 16.13% 1.34% 0.01% 0.26% 2.95% Electiondot.png Democratic
New York's 4th District 21.33% 49.30% 17.97% 0.03% 7.50% 0.01% 1.12% 2.72% Ends.png Republican
New York's 5th District 20.47% 14.35% 39.31% 0.51% 14.63% 0.05% 5.46% 5.22% Electiondot.png Democratic
New York's 6th District 27.01% 24.19% 4.58% 0.29% 40.46% 0.16% 0.83% 2.48% Electiondot.png Democratic
New York's 7th District 33.84% 36.12% 11.33% 0.11% 12.95% 0.05% 1.63% 3.96% Electiondot.png Democratic
New York's 8th District 16.88% 27.25% 41.64% 0.09% 8.22% 0.06% 1.09% 4.77% Electiondot.png Democratic
New York's 9th District 11.94% 32.07% 39.14% 0.16% 9.17% 0.01% 2.45% 5.05% Electiondot.png Democratic
New York's 13th District 53.37% 14.88% 22.70% 0.03% 5.08% 0.00% 0.84% 3.10% Electiondot.png Democratic
New York's 14th District 52.29% 16.22% 17.34% 0.06% 10.82% 0.00% 1.40% 1.88% Electiondot.png Democratic
New York's 15th District 56.07% 8.56% 29.47% 0.35% 2.88% 0.02% 0.79% 1.85% Electiondot.png Democratic
New York's 16th District 29.36% 40.38% 19.33% 0.13% 6.14% 0.00% 1.56% 3.10% Electiondot.png Democratic
North Carolina's 1st District 6.75% 47.29% 40.25% 0.60% 0.79% 0.02% 0.37% 3.93% Electiondot.png Democratic
North Carolina's 12th District 13.89% 40.92% 35.00% 0.15% 6.05% 0.03% 0.26% 3.70% Electiondot.png Democratic
Ohio's 11th District 7.96% 41.23% 43.61% 0.04% 2.58% 0.02% 0.58% 3.97% Electiondot.png Democratic
Pennsylvania's 2nd District 27.97% 36.02% 21.92% 0.10% 9.85% 0.01% 1.02% 3.11% Electiondot.png Democratic
Pennsylvania's 3rd District 6.09% 31.43% 51.54% 0.16% 5.96% 0.05% 0.75% 4.04% Electiondot.png Democratic
South Carolina's 6th District 5.08% 42.50% 47.13% 0.32% 1.43% 0.08% 0.51% 2.95% Electiondot.png Democratic
Tennessee's 9th District 8.09% 24.94% 62.53% 0.03% 1.84% 0.05% 0.29% 2.24% Electiondot.png Democratic
Texas' 2nd District 32.82% 45.96% 11.60% 0.10% 4.55% 0.08% 0.60% 4.31% Ends.png Republican
Texas' 5th District 30.07% 46.65% 15.67% 0.21% 3.87% 0.01% 0.53% 2.99% Ends.png Republican
Texas' 6th District 34.03% 43.44% 14.08% 0.10% 4.10% 0.07% 0.63% 3.55% Ends.png Republican
Texas' 7th District 34.52% 25.63% 17.77% 0.11% 18.24% 0.07% 0.59% 3.07% Electiondot.png Democratic
Texas' 8th District 32.52% 45.80% 11.93% 0.17% 5.79% 0.06% 0.31% 3.42% Ends.png Republican
Texas' 9th District 39.73% 12.76% 35.85% 0.08% 8.75% 0.03% 0.49% 2.32% Electiondot.png Democratic
Texas' 11th District 41.95% 40.79% 11.15% 0.15% 1.79% 0.22% 0.50% 3.44% Ends.png Republican
Texas' 15th District 80.86% 15.60% 1.19% 0.07% 1.15% 0.05% 0.14% 0.94% Ends.png Republican
Texas' 16th District 82.62% 10.80% 3.29% 0.23% 1.38% 0.15% 0.37% 1.16% Electiondot.png Democratic
Texas' 18th District 46.49% 15.51% 30.24% 0.10% 4.48% 0.02% 0.27% 2.88% Electiondot.png Democratic
Texas' 19th District 40.28% 49.13% 4.97% 0.39% 1.54% 0.03% 0.25% 3.42% Ends.png Republican
Texas' 20th District 70.37% 17.24% 5.57% 0.07% 4.05% 0.06% 0.32% 2.32% Electiondot.png Democratic
Texas' 22nd District 30.38% 38.49% 10.81% 0.08% 15.19% 0.17% 0.40% 4.49% Ends.png Republican
Texas' 23rd District 65.64% 26.34% 3.15% 0.29% 2.12% 0.04% 0.32% 2.09% Ends.png Republican
Texas' 27th District 56.21% 35.79% 3.76% 0.18% 1.54% 0.05% 0.15% 2.33% Ends.png Republican
Texas' 28th District 77.19% 15.63% 4.25% 0.13% 0.85% 0.10% 0.34% 1.51% Electiondot.png Democratic
Texas' 29th District 73.68% 7.90% 15.02% 0.09% 1.90% 0.07% 0.31% 1.05% Electiondot.png Democratic
Texas' 30th District 38.07% 17.64% 37.35% 0.14% 3.73% 0.05% 0.44% 2.57% Electiondot.png Democratic
Texas' 32nd District 36.95% 29.82% 21.74% 0.20% 7.78% 0.07% 0.28% 3.15% Electiondot.png Democratic
Texas' 33rd District 60.14% 13.12% 16.48% 0.13% 7.81% 0.09% 0.15% 2.07% Electiondot.png Democratic
Texas' 34th District 91.45% 6.90% 0.45% 0.11% 0.60% 0.00% 0.04% 0.45% Electiondot.png Democratic
Texas' 35th District 53.67% 27.80% 11.02% 0.07% 3.40% 0.07% 0.95% 3.02% Electiondot.png Democratic
Texas' 36th District 33.13% 47.91% 10.51% 0.10% 4.45% 0.07% 0.21% 3.62% Ends.png Republican
Texas' 37th District 30.25% 49.83% 6.14% 0.09% 8.72% 0.06% 0.64% 4.27% Electiondot.png Democratic
Texas' 38th District 27.52% 49.05% 9.71% 0.14% 10.10% 0.02% 0.42% 3.04% Ends.png Republican
Virginia's 3rd District 8.48% 39.58% 42.49% 0.20% 2.98% 0.31% 0.59% 5.37% Electiondot.png Democratic
Virginia's 4th District 8.77% 41.35% 42.00% 0.12% 2.75% 0.06% 0.30% 4.66% Electiondot.png Democratic
Virginia's 11th District 14.95% 47.55% 9.28% 0.17% 22.14% 0.06% 0.95% 4.90% Electiondot.png Democratic
Washington's 9th District 14.94% 38.92% 12.11% 0.39% 24.19% 1.46% 0.43% 7.55% Electiondot.png Democratic
Wisconsin's 4th District 18.20% 41.41% 30.45% 0.33% 5.12% 0.02% 0.38% 4.08% Electiondot.png Democratic
Source: United States Census Bureau, "2022 American Community Survey; B03002 HISPANIC OR LATINO ORIGIN BY RACE," accessed September 17, 2023

Historical information

2021

The table below provides demographic data about each majority-minority district in the United States House of Representatives as of 2021. Information about the partisan affiliation of each district's representative is as of 2021. Click "[show]" on the table below to see the complete data set.

2015

The table below provides demographic data about each majority-minority district in the United States House of Representatives as of 2015. Information about the partisan affiliation of each district's representative is as of 2015. Click "[show]" on the table below to see the complete data set.

2013

The table below provides demographic data about each majority-minority district in the United States as of 2013. Information about the partisan affiliation of each district's representative dates to 2015. Click "[show]" on the table below to see the complete data set.

Support and opposition

Support

Proponents of majority-minority districts argue that these districts are a necessary hindrance to the practice of cracking, which occurs when a constituency is divided between several districts in order to prevent it from achieving a majority in any one district. In an April 2015 report for the Congressional Research Service, legislative attorney L. Paige Whitaker described this argument as follows:[7]

A majority-minority district is one in which a racial or language minority group comprises a voting majority. The creation of such districts can avoid racial vote dilution by preventing the submergence of minority voters into the majority, which can deny minority voters the opportunity to elect a candidate of their choice.[9]
—L. Paige Whitaker

In addition, supporters argue that the drawing of majority-minority districts has resulted in an increased number of minority representatives in state legislatures and Congress. The American Civil Liberties Union, in a 2001 report, made this argument:[2][3][4][16]

In 1964, there were only about 300 black elected officials nationwide. By 1998 the number had grown to more than 8,858. This increase is the direct result of the increase in majority-minority districts since passage of the Voting Rights Act in 1965. ... Given the persistent patterns of racial bloc voting in the South, the destruction of majority-minority districts, whether at the congressional or state and local levels, would inevitable lead to a decline in the number of minority office holders.[9]
American Civil Liberties Union

Opposition

Critics contend that the establishment of majority-minority districts can result in packing, which occurs when a constituency or voting group is placed within a single district, thereby minimizing its influence in other districts. Kim Soffen, writing for The Washington Post in June 2016, summarized this argument as follows:[17]

Imagine the minority-favored candidate can win an election in a district if at least 30 percent of voters are minorities. What harm is done by the legislators packing the district up to 50 percent minority voters? Much like political gerrymandering, it limits black influence in surrounding districts. It would require the creation of, for instance, a 50 percent and a 10 percent black district, rather than two 30 percent black districts. In other words, the requirement would give black voters one representative of their choice rather than two.[9]
—Kim Soffen

Critics argue that, because minority groups tend to vote Democratic, majority-minority districts ultimately present an unfair advantage to Republicans by consolidating Democratic votes into a smaller number of districts. Steven Hill, writing for The Atlantic in June 2013, made the following argument:[2][3][4]

The drawing of majority-minority districts not only elected more minorities, it also had the effect of bleeding minority voters out of all the surrounding districts. Given that minority voters were the most reliably Democratic voters, that made all of the neighboring districts more Republican. The black, Latino, and Asian representatives mostly were replacing white Democrats, and the increase in minority representation was coming at the expense of electing fewer Democrats.[9]
—Steven Hill

Recent news

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See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. United States Census Bureau, "2022 American Community Survey; B03002 HISPANIC OR LATINO ORIGIN BY RACE," accessed September 17, 2023
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 Indy Week, "Cracked, stacked and packed: Initial redistricting maps met with skepticism and dismay," June 29, 2011
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 The Atlantic, "How the Voting Rights Act Hurts Democrats and Minorities," June 17, 2013
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 Internet Archive - Redrawing the Lines, "The Role of Section 2 - Majority Minority Districts," archived April 9, 2015 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "naacp" defined multiple times with different content Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "naacp" defined multiple times with different content
  5. United States Census Bureau, "2009-2013 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates," accessed April 8, 2015
  6. United States Census Bureau, "American Fact Finder: 2015 1-year estimates," accessed May 23, 2017
  7. 7.0 7.1 Congressional Research Service, "Congressional Redistricting and the Voting Rights Act: A Legal Overview," April 13, 2015
  8. Legal Information Institute, "Voting Rights Act," accessed June 19, 2017
  9. 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  10. Yale Law School, The Avalon Project, "Voting Rights Act of 1965; August 6, 1965," accessed April 6, 2015
  11. Justice.gov, "Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act," accessed July 21, 2015
  12. 12.0 12.1 12.2 The Oyez Project at IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law, "Thornburg v. Gingles," accessed May 20, 2015
  13. 13.0 13.1 13.2 Racial and Ethnic Tensions in American Communities: Poverty, Inequality, and Discrimination—Volume VII: The Mississippi Delta Report, "Chapter 3–Voting Rights and Political Representation in the Mississippi Delta," accessed May 20, 2015
  14. 14.0 14.1 14.2 Justia.com, "Thornburg v. Gingles, 478 U.S. 30 (1986)," June 30, 1986
  15. United States Census Bureau, "2022 American Community Survey; B03002 HISPANIC OR LATINO ORIGIN BY RACE," accessed September 17, 2023
  16. American Civil LIberties Union, "Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Redistricting," April 2001
  17. The Washington Post, "How racial gerrymandering deprives black people of political power," June 9, 2016