To the Editor:
Because the Republican party and Donald Trump were so afraid of losing control of Congress in 2026, Trump called on Texas to redistrict to eliminate Democratic congressional districts.
California responded to eliminate Republican districts.
And the fight was on. But now, thanks to the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling last week on voting rights, Republican states can eliminate even more Democratic seats that had been drawn to establish majority-minority districts.
Due to the Voting Rights Act of 1965, blacks were able to run and win in majority-minority districts.
Black representation in Congress went from a total of six members in 1965 to 59 in 2023.
In the wake of the decision, red states have wasted no time in eliminating districts represented by black Democrats.
Tennessee redrew districts to eliminate the one current democratic district.
The Louisiana governor called a halt to the state’s primary election so the legislature could redraw the maps getting rid of the majority-minority district.
Other states are scrambling to join the bandwagon.
This is madness. Neither party should try to eliminate districts that allow for representation by the state’s minority political party.
If I am in the minority party, it appears that my opinion means nothing — it is as if I don’t exist. In a perfect world, congressional districts would be compact (geometrically regular in shape) and equal in population — all done without regard for political party.
But we don’t live in a perfect world.
The preamble to the Constitution talks about creating “a more perfect union.”
But the United States has been moving in the opposite direction when it comes to political parties and electing our representatives.
When all the states have finished their redistricting efforts and we look at the congressional district map, we will be able to see how imperfect the union is.
