On Redistricting, Will Virginia Democrats Surrender, or Get Creative?

"We try to keep despair out of these pages, tough as the times are. That's why I didn't write about Friday's Virginia Supreme Court's decision striking down new voter-approved congressional maps, for extremely dubious reasons (read Virginia political expert Carolyn Fiddler's awesome explanation of the ruling here). Coming after the Supreme Court (of the United States) decision invalidating Louisiana's congressional maps for taking race into account, the Bayou State's immediately postponing upcoming elections as a result, and Tennessee's swift move to use the SCOTUS ruling to wipe a majority-Black congressional district literally off the political map, last week was the worst for voting rights since the court's 2013 Shelby v. Holder ruling struck down Section Three of the VRA."

"Adding to my dismay on Friday, Virginia Democratic leaders came out against the court's ruling, but seemed resigned to let its Republican majority undo the will of state voters. "I am disappointed by the Supreme Court of Virginia's ruling," Gov. Abigail Spanberger, a centrist who initially opposed the redistricting push, then supported it, said in a statement. "But my focus as Governor will be on ensuring that all voters have the information necessary to make their voices heard this November in the midterm elections because in those elections we - the voters - will have the final say." Democratic House speaker Don Scott echoed Spanberger: "We respect the court.""

"Let me pause here and say: I don't respect that court, or its outcome-driven reasoning. And I am sick and tired of Democrats conceding that the only answer for various racist laws-Jim Crow redistricting, onerous voter ID, now a GOP dominated state Supreme Court overturning the will of Virginia's voters-is that Democrats just have to vote more and harder and better. Because that basically means Black Democrats, as well as Democrats of other r"

Virginia’s Supreme Court struck down new voter-approved congressional maps, following similar actions in Louisiana and Tennessee tied to race-based redistricting. Louisiana postponed upcoming elections after its maps were invalidated, and Tennessee moved quickly to remove a majority-Black district. These events were described as the worst for voting rights since the 2013 Shelby v. Holder decision. Virginia Democratic leaders criticized the ruling while expressing respect for the court and emphasizing voter participation in the November midterms. The response also condemns Democrats’ tendency to concede that increased turnout is the only remedy for racist laws, arguing that this approach burdens Black Democrats and others without addressing underlying structural problems.

Read at The Nation