The Florida Supreme Court has allowed the use of new U.S. House districts drawn by Republicans for the upcoming midterm elections. This decision marks another win for the GOP in their nationwide redistricting efforts to maintain their slim House majority.
Background
The court refused a request to issue a temporary injunction against the new districts. Attorneys for voters who sued argued that the new House districts violate a state constitutional provision prohibiting partisan gerrymandering. They claimed the court should order the state to continue using the same districts as in the previous election.
Republicans currently hold 20 of Florida’s 28 U.S. House seats. The new voting districts, signed into law by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, could improve the GOP’s chances of winning four additional seats this year.
Redistricting Efforts
Florida is one of several Republican-led states that have undertaken mid-decade redistricting as part of President Donald Trump’s plan to try to hold on to a slim House majority in November. The state’s legislature approved the new House map on April 29, the same day the U.S. Supreme Court weakened federal Voting Rights Act protections for minorities.
DeSantis had called lawmakers into a special session before the high court’s ruling, anticipating the eventual outcome. His office asserted that no racial data was used for the map presented to the Legislature. The new map redraws a southeastern Florida district that DeSantis’ office said was created to help elect a Black representative in an attempt to comply with the federal Voting Rights Act.
In a memo to lawmakers, DeSantis’ General Counsel David Axelman argued that the racial redistricting provision of Florida’s Fair Districts Amendment violates the U.S. Constitution. If one element is invalid, Axelman wrote, then the entire 2010 amendment is void, including provisions barring partisan gerrymandering.
Impact on Voters
Under the new House map, 82% of voters in districts represented by Republicans remain in the same districts as under the previous map. In contrast, only 41% of voters in districts represented by Democrats are kept in their same districts.
Original reporting: NBC6 Miami — read the source article.
