Redistricting for Fairness in the Latino and Minority Communities
Statement of Facts & Position
· As new 2010 Census data reveals, our nation has undergone great demographic change and is becoming increasingly diverse.
· In Wisconsin, the Latino population has grown 74% since the 2000 Census data.
· Milwaukee has maintained a similar number of residents (595,000) according to the census, but the racial makeup has had a considerable shift.
· The white population has decreased by about 50,000 residents. This was offset by persons of color. Most notably, Asian Americans grew by about 3,000, Black Americans by 15,000, and Latinos by 32,000 residents.
· The changing face of Milwaukee raises questions throughout communities, especially in electoral politics.
· Our goal is for the Latino community to have fair representation at all levels of government?
· We are asking for our Latino community to have an equal voice and an equal opportunity to elect representatives who consider our needs and interests?
· “Redistricting” is the process that determines how our local aldermanic districts are drawn.
· We are asking for an opportunity for our Latino community to be able to participate fairly in the electoral process?
· How can we ensure that the voting strength of our communities is not weakened?
· In the Latino community, we have joined an unprecedented coalition of leaders and organizations and formed the Latino Redistricting Committee. Our sole purpose is ensure that our Latino community has fair representation
· Redistricting following the census will determine political representation for the decade to come, and we are tasked to ensure that our communities’ voices are heard, their needs addressed, and their rights protected.
· During redistricting, the aldermanic district lines are redrawn so that each district is equal in population size based on the decennial census data. An equal importance is to ensure fair representation of minority communities.
· With so much at stake, any effort in which redistricting is carried out; we must ensure that protections afforded by the Voting Rights Act (VRA) of 1965 are observed. This Act safeguards threats against dilution of minority representation.
· Modern redistricting reform measures must carefully approach redistricting and ensure that no proposed partisan or political ideal occurs at the expense on minority voting rights principles.
· Among many of the protections provided by the Voting Rights Act, it also defined illegal procedures called “cracking” and “packing” districts.
“Cracking” is dividing a minority community and placing them in two or more districts, thus diluting political influence.
“Packing” is packing one district at the expense of two possible influential districts.
· It is recognized by many, including the US Department of Justice that Latinos are disenfranchised in as much as or even more so
than other minority groups.
· The US Department of Justice and many civil rights organizations have sued many governmental bodies that violate the Voting Rights Act and we want to ensure that our City is not exposed to a sued by the DOJ
· It is well known that minority communities participate less in voting for elected officials and taking part in the census compared to other communities.
· Some of the documented reasons include the prevalence of low educational attainment, poverty, legal status, and language barriers.
· The US Supreme Court has established the “one person, one vote” rule, one of the most basic principles on redistricting. Each district needs to be proportionally populated, plus or minus 10 percent.
· It is clear that Latinos and minorities are inherently underrepresented in the census count and voting numbers. The concept of supermajority (about 70%) minority districts has been practiced and justified in the court of law
· Attorney John K Tanner, former chief of the Voting Section of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division has visited Milwaukee on June 16-17 2011, and among his observations, he has unequivocally expressed the need for supermajority Latino districts. He was the keynote speaker at the LULAC biannual conference on June 17th and sat in on a Latino Redistricting Committee meeting the day before.
· Attorney John Tanner has published numerous articles and short books on voting rights. He has been honored by many minority groups, received numerous Department of Justice awards, and was the 2004 recipient of the John Dear Award, the Civil Rights Division’s highest honor. He has brought more Voting Rights Act suits than any other Department of Justice attorney.
· Because redistricting directly correlates political districts and fair representation, minority groups are realizing that this greatly impacts the allocation of resources.
· Latinos are awakened for the need of new and effective approaches to education, job skills development, job creation, and healthcare and are asking for an opportunity to be part of the solution
· Latinos are also awakened to the fact that political influence in local government is directly affected by the way district maps are drawn.
· It is in this spirit of fair representation that the Latino Redistricting Committee has determined key principles on the redistricting map process. These principles have guided us to draw three districts in which Latinos are fairly represented.
· In our proposed map, the 8th and the 12th districts will have 62 and 67 percent Latino representation respectively. Directly below these two districts a third district was drawn. This third district will combine some of the 13th and the 14th districts in order to provide about a 40 percent Latino representation.
· Our committee is adamant in combining these two districts. The 2010 census map shows this area with an existing Latino population that is underrepresented. This population is also trending to grow in the coming years.
· We believe that there is sufficient evidence that any attempt to “crack” the proposed third district will be a violation of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and in particular section 2.
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