Dēmos president Taifa Smith Butler released the following statement following today’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Louisiana v. Callais, which debilitates Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act and gives states a clear path to dilute Black and brown citizens’ voting power:
“Today’s decision is a gut punch to our multiracial democracy and an insult to voters of color across the country, at a time when everyday people see their basic rights and freedoms threatened. The Court has effectively stripped Black, Latino, Native American, Asian American and other voters of color of the most powerful protection against racial discrimination in redistricting.
“For decades, the Voting Rights Act has made sure that millions of Americans, including many communities historically excluded from the political process, had full and undiluted voting power. Yet the Court has been slowly and systematically nullifying key provisions of the Voting Rights Act since 2013. Gutting Section 2 opens the door to even more assaults on voting rights, giving state and local officials a license to use gerrymandering as a smokescreen for racial discrimination.
“Laws and policies that undermine fair representation strip voters of color of their power to determine their future and hold their elected officials to account.
Let’s be clear: our vote mattered yesterday, it matters today, and it will continue to matter tomorrow. The rules may have changed, thanks to the Court’s decision, but Dēmos remains resolute in the fight to build a democracy in which Black and brown people can build power and thrive.”
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Dēmos is a non-profit public policy organization working to build a just, inclusive, multiracial democracy and economy. We work hand in hand to build power with and for Black and brown communities, forging strategic alliances with grassroots and state-based organizations.