Racial Gerrymandering

After reading online about the racial gerrymandering in Virginia I just couldn't believe that what we talked about in class; about packing, cracking, and stacking actually still happens and takes place to this day. What had happened recently was, the Supreme Court told a lower court to reconsider the redistricting efforts of Virginia's Republican-led legislature for signs of racial bias and gerrymandered legislative districts that weaken the impact of African American voters. The justices declined to take a position on this issue. They had mentioned that a lower court hadn't applied the right standards when it concluded that the legislature's work was constitutional. It's unclear whether the situation would have such an impact or if any changes would be made in time for the fall elections.

The decision caused the Democrats to be more confident and they pushed to fill in almost all of the 100 seats in House of Delegates that are up for election. Under the Supreme Courts precedents, the maps can sometimes require an examination of race to make sure minorities have a chance to elect candidates of their choice. Race cannot be the strongest factor in drawing districts. In Virginia and other states, challengers have said Republicans have packed minorities into a small number of districts to make surrounding areas more hospitable to Republican candidates. The Supreme Court upheld one district that was disputed, saying the legislature had made the case that it needed a black voting age population of 55 percent in order for a minority candidate of choice to prevail.

Democrats have already announced candidates in 75 House districts this year. If all the districts in both cases were found to be unconstitutional, they and the ones around them would have to be redrawn. That could amount to 30 districts or more in total which is roughly a third of the Virginia House.