The recent Supreme Court decision on the Voting Rights Act has kicked off another wave of partisan gerrymandering across the South — yet the ruling’s implications for the representation of minority voters and the democratic responsiveness of state and local governments have largely flown under the radar. In the long run, however, these effects may prove just as consequential, as the Supreme Court has paved the way for state governments to entrench their power and lock minority communities out of representation in their government.
The effects of Louisiana v. Callais are still rippling across the country, as Republican-run states across the South suspend elections in order to redraw maps and eliminate minority majority districts in their states, giving themselves a buffer for the midterms.
