One week after the primary election, plaintiffs lawsuit challenging government. Ron DeSantis A congressional map that has erased two black constituencies in Florida is beginning a statewide tour to mobilize minority voters in key counties.
Starting Tuesday, Equal Ground will team up with fellow plaintiffs Florida Rising, League of Women Voters and Black Votes Matter for a “We Draw the Lines” tour. The tour includes stops in her six counties where new maps will affect the following month.
of the tour kick off event will be Sanford Civic Center Annex In Seminole County, it will be held on September 7 at the Smith Center in Orlando. Both events start at 6:30pm.
Other locations to be announced include Osceola County on September 12, Hillsborough County on September 13-14, Miami-Dade County on September 15, and Jacksonville in Duvall County on October 6. .
During stops, the group will talk to voters about maps and provide updates on the history of each district, its current composition, and how it compares to previous compositions.
The group will also use each stop to encourage voters to vote on or before the November 8 general election and to educate them about important legislative changes such as restrictions on mail-in ballots and voter registration deadlines.
Contested constituencies, including Florida’s 5th and 10th congressional districts — a repaint of which critics say discrimination against black voters — Florida’s 7th, 9th, 13th, 14th, 26th and 27th congressional districts.
“Speaking directly to people, residents and voters is very important because they are being targeted and voter data determines the composition of these maps and whether electoral districts remain in full or move. is.” Jasmine Barney-Clark,Founder equal grounda black-led civic participation non-profit organization.
“The people we work with are the residents. voter suppression laws Anything passed in this state pretty much bans access to the ballot box. “
Attendees at the event will also learn how the Florida Supreme Court ruled in early June. refused to listen to the discussion about the new mapallowing that change to dominate this year’s elections.
“We know how important the courts are in this process, not only the courts that hear our cases, but also how the Supreme Court, a personal court appointed and held every six year election cycle, has been appointed. I want to talk to people about how important it is to play a key role in our future elections, the mapping process, and how we move forward with unconstitutional maps,” said Barney Clarke. said.
Twelve residents, all Democrats, across seven counties signed the lawsuit as voter plaintiffs. Laurel LeeAttorney General Ashley MoodyPresident of the Senate wilton simpsonSpeaker of the House Chris SprolesChairman of the Senate Redistribution Committee Ray Rodriguez Chairman of the House Redistricting Committee Thomas Leek as a defendant.
Litigation relies heavily on language Fair District Amendment in the Florida Constitution. The amendments prohibit the drawing of political party maps for or against political parties and protect the right of minority communities to elect candidates of their own choosing.
In their lawsuit, the group argued that the new map of Congress “deliberately endorses the Republican Party almost every time,” violating both requirements set forth in the Fair District Amendment, thus resulting in a “domestic represents one of the most extreme gerrymanders in the world.
the lawsuit is still Awaiting resolutionThe group said it did not expect the issue to be resolved in the near future. Monet Holdersenior director of advocacy and programs for Florida Rising, a statewide voting rights and grassroots organization focused on empowering black communities.
“We anticipate a longer road ahead,” she said. “While our attorneys prepare for the next stage of the case, we are considering how to continue to structure the case and how this redistricting will address the We want our community to recognize that this is something that needs to be done…In our state, Black representation is important locally. Any efforts to reduce it should not be tolerated.”
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