The state legislature is expected to pretty much wrap up its special session on redistricting today. The session officially must end Sunday at 6 p.m. Lawmakers have been split along racial and party lines on the subject of adding more majority black voting districts to the maps for Congress, legislature, BESE, state courts and more. “LAPolitics.com” publisher Jeremy Alford has watched the whole process and says things got quite testy between Members several times, “they’re almost kind of baked into the process, in terms of the necessity for majority-minority districts. And, not for nothing, our politics are racially charged as well … so these exchanges were anticipated.”
The House and Senate republican majorities each passed congressional maps that still have only one majority-minority district (District 2). Alford says GOP Members feel there’s more to making a second majority black district than simply wanting one. He says, from their standpoint, “it simply cannot be done in a responsible way to make sure that communities of interest are together … and incumbents are protected, and the other requirements for redistricting. But, if you talk to democrats, they’ll tell you it CAN be done and there were maps passed.”
On Thursday, Baton Rouge House member Barry Ivey blasted GOP colleagues for tabling his state Supreme Court map, which would have added more minority districts, with zero debate. So far, NO maps that increase minority voter strength of any kind have passed. Alford says the REAL question is: once the session ends, what will the Governor do? Sign them? Veto them? And will lawmakers seek to override his veto? Alford says Mr. Edwards may well want to veto, to help his image with Black voters after the controversy of Ronald Greene’s death while being arrested by State Police. Alford thinks court challenges of the district maps passed are inevitable.
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