Following a Supreme Court ruling narrowing the Voting Rights Act, Tennessee and Alabama governors call special sessions to redraw congressional maps. Other Southern states consider similar moves ahead of upcoming primaries.
Posts tagged as “a Voting Rights Act”
Louisiana suspends its May 16 U.S. House primaries after the Supreme Court invalidates the state's congressional map for racial gerrymandering. Other races, including Senate primaries, will proceed as scheduled.
Virginia voters approved a new congressional map favoring Democrats, potentially shifting up to four House seats ahead of the midterm elections. The referendum replaces bipartisan-drawn districts with those created by the Democratic legislature, sparking legal challenges from Republicans.
Virginia voters decide on a constitutional amendment to redraw congressional districts favoring Democrats, amid a national battle over redistricting ahead of the 2026 midterms. The referendum would temporarily suspend a bipartisan commission and could shift up to four House seats to Democrats.
Chris Taylor wins a Wisconsin Supreme Court seat, expanding the liberal majority to 5-2. The victory continues a trend of Democratic-backed successes in the state’s high court races and could influence key issues like redistricting and voting rights.
Mexican authorities have confirmed 27 deaths and 4 missing people due to the destruction caused by Hurricane Otis in Acapulco. President Andrés Manuel López Obrador reported that the destruction was so complete that not a single power line pole remained standing in the impact zone. Small farmers have also been affected, with corn crops devastated by the storm, and people looting from a shopping mall. The government is providing food, water, and medical assistance to those affected.
Hurricane Otis has rapidly intensified from a tropical storm to a Category 5 hurricane, with maximum sustained winds of 160 mph and hurricane-force winds extending up to 30 miles from its center. It is expected to make landfall near the resort of Acapulco early Wednesday, causing catastrophic damage. The Mexican government has issued warnings and set up emergency shelters, urging residents to take all necessary precautions and follow the instructions of local authorities.
Alabama has been ordered to adopt a new congressional redistricting map, which will create a second majority-Black district and give Black voters in the state a greater voice in the 2024 elections. This ruling is a victory for civil rights activists who have long argued that the state's congressional districts were drawn in a way that diluted the voting power of Black voters, and is a step towards ensuring that all Alabamians have an equal voice in the state's political process.