Governor John Bel Edwards gives COVID briefing January 13, 2022.
Governor John Bel Edwards has vetoed the proposed Congressional district map because it does not have two majority-minority districts.
Before the redistricting session began, Edwards said two of the state’s six Congressional districts should be drawn so an African American can win, so it’s not a surprise he vetoed a Congressional map that has one majority minority district.
The governor IS allowing the re-drawn House and Senate district maps to become law without his signature, because he says he wants legislators to focus on the upcoming session and not their re-election chances in 2023.
It’s expected the GOP led Legislature will attempt to override the governor’s veto of their Congressional map. If the veto override is successful, the Constitutionality of the map will be challenged, leaving it to the courts to settle.
Here is Governor John Bel Edwards statement:
“Today, after careful consideration, review, discussion with legislators, and consultation with voting rights experts, I have vetoed the proposed congressional map drawn by Louisiana’s Legislature because it does not include a second majority African American district, despite Black voters making up almost a third of Louisianans per the latest U.S. Census data. This map is simply not fair to the people of Louisiana and does not meet the standards set forth in the federal Voting Rights Act. The Legislature should immediately begin the work of drawing a map that ensures Black voices can be properly heard in the voting booth. It can be done and it should be done. While neither the congressional or legislative maps passed by Louisiana’s Legislature do anything to increase the number of districts where minority voters can elect candidates of their choosing, I do not believe the Legislature has the ability to draw new state House and Senate maps during this upcoming legislative session without the process halting the important work of the state of Louisiana. At a time when we face unprecedented challenges, but have unprecedented opportunities to make historic investments in our future, the Legislature should be focused on the issues in the upcoming session and not concerned about what their own districts will look like in the 2023 elections.
I have signed the maps for the Louisiana State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education and the Louisiana Public Service Commission because I believe those maps provide a fairer representation of Louisiana than the other maps that were passed.”
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