Rethug Redistricting Plan Violates Federal Voting Rights Act?
All signs point to yes. There are currently four minority-majority House districts in Delaware, where minorities make up the majority of a district’s population, if not voter registration.
Under the Rethugs’ plan, there would be only two.
One of the minority-majority districts (3rd RD) disappears entirely, while a second (16th) goes from a minority-majority district to a white majority district.
Helene Keeley’s 3rd RD is perhaps the most racially- and ethnically-diverse district in Delaware. In addition to having a significant black population, the district includes the Latin American Community Center and the communities that the LACC primarily serves. Rather than eliminating Gerald Brady’s far less diverse district, the Rethugs have opted to do away with Keeley’s. In so doing, they have created a ‘new’ 3rd RD in western rural Kent County. And the white registration in this ‘new’ district replacing a minority-majority district? 81.31%. That’ll keep them ‘nigrahs’ and ‘furriners’ in line.
Paging Pompous Bloviator Greg Lavelle: Defend this, please. Explain how you hope to avoid a lawsuit and/or how this makes sense on legal or moral grounds.
Uh, don’t go away just yet, Greg.
You have also turned what heretofore was a minority-majority district south of Wilmington into a white majority district. The 16th RD, currently represented by J. J. Johnson, and excellent legislator and a minority, would have a white majority of 50.23%. In order to make this a white majority district, you really had to go out of your way to make those numbers work. And you did it by putting most everything east of New Castle Avenue into Stephanie Bolden’s district. Areas with an overwhelmingly minority population. And you’re putting them into a district that already has an overwhelming minority population while changing the key racial component of the 16th, totally unnecessarily.
I can go on here. But my point is that either Rethugs are so incompetent that they inadvertently did away with two minority-majority districts, or they did it deliberately, and replaced one of those districts with an overwhelmingly white rural district in Kent County. We both know which one it is. Greg, care to come on Al’s show with me next week and discuss your plan? Or do you just want to wait for a court challenge?
Oh, BTW, you read the quotes of heroic martyr Greg Lavelle saying that he’s supposedly making a sacrifice by facing a possible contest with Dennis E Williams? Betcha he didn’t tell you that the ‘new’ 10th goes from a district with a D plurality of about 2,000 registrants to one with an R plurality of about 600, now did he? Something tells me though that he won’t be able to fix the game this time around as he and Wayne Smith did last time.
Which means that minorities can at least breathe easier. And that Greg Lavelle is part of an endangered political minority.
Tags: Delaware General Assembly; Redistricting; Greg Lavelle; Steve Tanzer; El Somnambulo;
So ummmm Mr. Lavelle, I’m wondering if you spoke with the Hispanic Redistricting Task Force yet
Oh that’s right, I don’t suppose they;d be taking your calls right about now
nor will the Urban League…
Thank YOU!!, you have ensured the minority vote for the Dems again!!
Seems I heard lot about “inclusion” in to the new Republican Party, I heard that minority representation doubled at the Convention when one African-American and one Hispanic Got up to speak – for Mike Protack……..
way to punk yourself…..
The fact that their plan is a political non-starter probably trumps the issue of the legality. Before a court case can be brought, there must be a chance of someone being harmed. No one can be harmed in any real sense by a plan that has a snowball’s chance in hell of ever being even voted upon. This plan is little more than lines and pretty colors on a computer screen (its not even worth printing out). Its fun to discuss, but a Republican redistricting plan is little more than an unfunny joke.
The majority-minority district idea sounds good in theory, but does it really work in increasing minority representation?
The most racially and ethnically-diverse district in Delaware is represented by a white politician who has a cushy Delaware Way state job in the DOL. How many African-Americans have held that seat, or even run for it? How many Latinos have held that seat, or even run for it?
The secret to increasing minority representation is not to dump all the blacks and Hispanics into their own districts, but to develop a true farm team of rising stars that includes blacks and Hispanics.
Example: The Hispanic Redistricting Task Force unveiled a plan a few weeks ago to put all of Georgetown into a single district. Theoretically, that could put Delaware’s first Latino legislator into power. But outside of a few community leaders who have not expressed any political interest so far, there’s no plausible – or even possible – Latino candidate on the horizon. So Ruth Briggs King will continue her lock on that seat.
Don’t you understand? Republicans love majority-minority districts! Since blacks give roughly 90% of their votes to Democrats, and Hispanics a substantial majority of theirs, it is to the GOP’s advantage to pack as many of the solidly Democratic voters into as few districts as possible, while leaving white voters (who generally favor Republicans) spread out across multiple districts.
Actually, the R House Plan IS important. The R Caucus is already rattling its sabres about challenging any ‘unfair’ plan in court. Hard to bring a court challenge when your alternative plan violates federal law.
And, Dana, the point is that they’re completely taking away a minority-majority district and replacing it with…a district in rural Kent County that is over 80% white. They’ve wiped a minority-majority district off the map for THAT.
Word on the street is that the Dem caucus was briefed on the Dem plan today and it gets released tomorrow. More fun for El Somnambulo!
@anon – “Example: The Hispanic Redistricting Task Force unveiled a plan a few weeks ago to put all of Georgetown into a single district. Theoretically, that could put Delaware’s first Latino legislator into power”
ummm, we have HAD a Latino legislator in power for some years now
Representative Joe Miro (R) Pike Creek- he is Cuban, as in born there and came here… former head of the Latino National Caucas – WOW!!
Oddly enough, the Chinese Cultural Center is in his District
Not to be mean – but you obviously don’t know Latino politics in this State and don’t understand who is or who is not poised in G’town to run.
17.5% of the population won;t overcome the conservative Rs in the current 37th anyway, but please brush up on Latino politics – DE has CURRENTLY one Latino Legislator, one Latino Cabinet Secratary, 3 Latino Judges etc – and while not a huge showing, not bad for a little state with 0.08% of the population being Hispanic.
USHLI (United States Hispanic Leadership Institute is a good place to start)
You’re right, LG. However,I’ll be in and out today. My wife and I will be at the WXPN ‘Non-Commvention’ (Triple AAA radio stations) at the World Cafe Live at the Queen. Blind Boys of Alabama kick it off at noon. Oh, yeahhhhh!:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7DWQfahrbs&feature=related
Aoine – I always thought Miro was Italian. He certainly isn’t a presence in the downstate Hispanic community.
Do *you* understand who is poised or not in Georgetown to run? I doubt it, despite your recitation of statewide stats.
Here are the facts. There has been ONE Hispanic candidate for the town council over the decades. He lost pretty resoundingly. Georgetown is the population and political center of the current 37th – which is why only Georgetown candidates have ever held the seat, despite the inclusion of Lewes – yet the only candidates for the seat, D or R, have been whites. When the county council seat representing the town opened up three years ago, there were no Hispanics running for it. The Democratic nominee was a conservative white former mayor of the town. When the 37th opened up in for a special election two years ago – surely an opportune time to run! – the Democratic candidates seeking the nomination were all white, not a single face of color among them.
The only names well-known enough to actually run and win would be people like Zaida Guajardo of La Esperanza or Jose Somalo of Hoy, who have shown zero political interest so far.
Ruth Briggs King is a lock for life, unless she does something hugely stupid in her realtors’ association job.
“Do *you* understand who is poised or not in Georgetown to run? I doubt it, despite your recitation of statewide stats”
Joe has long been a voice for the Latino community – statewide, for years, attend any Governor;s Advisory Council on Hispanic Affairs meetings> they are open to the public you know.
LOL – you’d swallow that statement if you actully KNEW the facts
Zaida cannot run for that seat, she lives no where near Georgetown, so the same is true of her politically ambitious husband. OR did you know that??
the 37th isnt long for this world, you should know that too.
if you don;t even know who is or is not Hispanic, I wonder how you could know who has political ambitions or not en la communidad or who wants to run or not
Just please remember – not all Latinos are brown and not all Latinos have an accent either – dispense with the sterotypes. Are u Sure the candidate for council was Latino?? maybe they were ITALIAN!
no sabe nada…
Neither Jose nor Virginia (his wife) would run.
and if you really think anyone of color could ever win in the 37th, at any time in the forseeable future, you obviously cannot have seen the polling numbers since the Rs gerrymandered it away from Schroder in 2000, for any election.
Zaida Guajardo and Jose Somalo, really? are they the only two Latinos whose names you can come up with, that is tooooo funny…..
next time try some Latinos who actually live in the district who are elegible to run. If you even know any,
Miro is a Cuban-American, and has the remnants of the accent to prove it. There is a fairly lengthy tradition of R’s embracing and recruiting Cuban-American candidates (See Florida. South.) b/c strong anti-Castro sentiments have been exploited by R’s for decades.
While you know far more about Hispanic population trends than I do, the point isn’t always to get an Hispanic elected. That would likely require a much larger critical mass of registered Hispanic voters in the Georgetown area. Depending on how lines are drawn, the influence of the Hispanic community can either be increased or marginalized.
I have no idea how this might play out in the House D maps.
Well, Aoine, thanks for outing yourself. There’s only one person I can think of who has such outsized opinions about Sussex County politics twinned with such a firm belief that GACHA is even remotely relevant, politically or otherwise.
The statewide Hispanic community is an oxymoron. There is no such thing. There are pockets in the north and a very large population around Georgetown. The Cuban community has different perspectives than the Guatemalan community. To hold Miro up as an example of leadership is to be pitifully ignorant of Sussex County’s needs. When was the last time GACHA did anything beyond hold a meeting?
And if you would have read the entirety of my comments, you would see that they’re directed toward the NEW 37th – the Georgetown-focused district that the task force is proposing. The current 37th won’t exist beyond 2012, that is guaranteed.
Political ambitions are fine. Lots of people have them. What a CANDIDATE needs is name recognition – not just among Hispanics, but among Anglos, as well. Those two people I named have it. Who would you toss out there? That’s the practical challenge.
@anon – what a CANDIDATE needs is to be ELIGIBE in the district FIRST – the people you mention ARE NOT ELEGIBLE to run in the 37th -new or old
you seem to be all about “outing” (too funny) – I am not. Nor do I attend GACHA meetings – I just asked if you did. Nor did I even remotely tie GACHA to any relevance. you must get a lot of exercise jumping to conclusions.
I don;t toss names out there. That is for the up and coming to decide, when they are ready. Not me to play their hand for them to satisfy some poster – who doesnt even know the players, or even who is a member.
I never mentioned a statewide Hispanic community – I mentioned Joe’s work statewide. there is no such thing as a statewide white, black, asian or hispanic community. depending on where they are, they are all different, no community is on the same page all the time.
you seem have an issue with GACHA, well jump on board and show them the way – Im sure they would welcome a leader such as yourself.
Yet again you progosticate without any depth and leap into the abyss, showing your obvious, well, ignorance of the facts.
you said = “The Cuban community has different perspectives than the Guatemalan community. To hold Miro up as an example of leadership is to be pitifully ignorant of Sussex County’s needs”
SO if Miro cannot connect to that community due to his being Cuban – you propose someone who is Puerto Pican or someone who is Spanish to run in an area that is Guatemalan, Mexican, Salvadoran, basicaly Central American? How does that work, exactly – Get a grip.
Nice to know you think the Hispnic community irrelvant – but then again you don;t even know who is Hispanic and who is not
so, what does that say about you? and your “knowledge base” – because what you THINK you know, what you SAY you know and what you ACTUALLY know are obviously not even closely related – calling Miro Italian is really pretty funny – he’s been elected since 1998 and will tell anyone who cares to know, about living in Cuba and the Peter Pan flight that got him here.
@ElSOM – yes you’re correct Cubans do trend R (see Marco Rubio 🙂
However, with the past few years of anti-immigrant rhetoric and the Az and now GA laws, the Cuban community is feeling the heat and the younger ones are disliking the sentiment as it spills over onto them and they are trending D.
I also agree with its not about just getting a Hispanic elected, its about getting someone who cares about their constitutients eleced. Hey, they could be green with polka dots for all I care.
Sadly, the HRTF did not even have their first meeting until late March of this year. about a year too late to be taken seriously. The members are mostly upstaters that do not get it down in Sussex, with a few exceptions, and bamboolzed into believing that the lobbyist among them is actually effective.
If you notice, in the HRTF, the leading RECOGNIZED names in the Latino community,(as anon is so worked up over) North or South are missing. That alone should tell you something.
@anon – also – I don’t think I would call the Hilltop area in Wilmington – or the 3rd HD a “pocket” of Hispanics.
“pockets” are found in Kent County.
Communities are found in Wilmington and Georgetown. You might want to revisit the Census 2010 website and review the breakdown of the Latino population in Delaware.
Pew Hispanic center might help too.