Voting rights groups sue over new Florida congressional maps
Send a link to a friend
[April 23, 2022]
By Jonathan Allen
(Reuters) - Several voting rights groups
filed a lawsuit on Friday challenging Florida's new congressional map,
saying it unfairly diluted the voting power of Black residents to
benefit Republicans.
The new map is backed by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, a Republican,
who signed it into law on Friday. It passed the state Senate on
Wednesday and the House of Representatives on Thursday after some Black
lawmakers from the Democratic Party staged a sit-in protest during
debate.
With all but two other states finished with the once-a-decade
redistricting process, the outcome in Florida could play a significant
role in determining control of Congress in November's elections.
The League of Women Voters of Florida and Black Voters Matter joined
several other voting rights groups and individual Floridians in
challenging the map in a state court in Tallahassee, the state capital.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2022/Apr/23/images/ads/current/culligan_sda_SFARM_2022.png)
The lawsuit says the new map violates the state constitution by
intentionally favoring one political party and diminishing the voting
power of non-white voters.
It names Florida Secretary of State Laurel Lee, Attorney General Ashley
Moody, the state Senate and House, and several individual lawmakers as
defendants. The defendants did not immediately respond to requests for
comment.
[to top of second column]
|
![](../images/042322pics/news_j23.jpg)
Vote signs outside Palm Beach County Public Library polling station
during the 2020 presidential election in Palm Beach, Florida, U.S.,
November 3, 2020. REUTERS/Marco Bello/File Photo
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2022/Apr/23/images/ads/current/atlantabank_lda_SFARM_2022.png) The lawsuit asks the court to order
that the map not be used in this year's midterm elections and to
require that a new one be drawn that complies with the Florida
constitution.
DeSantis’ map would likely give Republicans control of 20 of the
state’s 28 districts, four more than they currently hold.
Republicans need to flip five seats nationally to take the majority
in the U.S. House, which would allow them to block much of
Democratic President Joe Biden’s agenda.
Advocates have said the plan violates the law by reducing the number
of Black districts from four to two. DeSantis has argued that the
map is “race neutral” and that the current map is racially
gerrymandered in an unconstitutional way.
(Reporting by Jonathan Allen; Editing by Colleen Jenkins and Bill
Berkrot)
[© 2022 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] This
material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or
redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2022/Apr/23/images/ads/current/charrons_bch_2022.png) |