The Franklin Sun: Voters call for majority black congressional district

By Zach Parker / zach@ouachitacitizen.com | Oct 27, 2021

When state lawmakers consider redrawing the boundaries of the state's six congressional districts, they should create two majority-minority congressional districts, including one that incorporates Monroe, several voters told legislators last week.

Louisiana currently has only one majority-minority congressional district.

Redistricting is underway, a process the state Legislature undertakes each 10 years after receiving the most recent data from the U.S. Census Bureau. The Legislature may add or remove districts, or redraw district boundaries to match population metrics so that each district has an ideal, or equitable, number of voters.

During a Joint Governmental Affairs Committee hearing at the University of Louisiana-Monroe last week, many people voiced concerns that new congressional and legislative districts might favor incumbent elected officials or white voters.

“Here in Monroe, black voters have no opportunity to elect their preferred candidates to Congress,” said Jared Evans, with the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. “Black voters have no chance of electing their choice to Congress.”

According to Evans, the NAACP submitted a map to legislators that proposed six new congressional districts, one where Monroe was in a majority-minority district.

“In fact, we know it is easy to draw a map with two majority-minority districts,” Evans said.

Census data shows Louisiana added some 124,000 residents since the last census in 2010. That means the state will keep its six congressional districts, without adding or removing any of Louisiana's seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. 

Several people speaking at the committee hearing last week said they hoped the 5thcongressional district would remain anchored in northeastern Louisiana.

“We a homogenous area,” said Kay Katz, of Monroe, who is a former state lawmaker. “We are all good folks. We have the same problems, we think alike. District 5 seems to have been working very well. The services in District 5 have been very good.”

“I support the 5thDistrict the way it is,” Katz added.

Data from the 2020 Census indicated significant population losses in the 4thand 5thcongressional districts as well as population growth in East Baton Rouge, Orleans and Lafayette parishes.

For example, the 4thcongressional district lost 10 to 20 percent of its population while the 5thcongressional lost 5 to 10 percent, having lost some 37,000 residents.

Melissa Flournoy, who chairs the Louisiana Progress Action's board of directors, warned against allowing “incumbent protection” guide redistricting, referring to the practice of redrawing legislative districts so incumbents' districts contained voters most favorable to them.

“The point I want to make today is that we have an opportunity, given the population changes, to really represent the people across Louisiana to make sure the voices of minority voters are heard,” Flournoy said.

According to Flournoy, there are 52 people serving in the Legislature who were most recently elected without opposition.

“We do not have inner-party competition,” Flournoy said.

Monroe attorney Paul Hurd echoed Flournoy's concerns, citing his past experience in redistricting in which incumbents gained an advantage instead of redrawing districts to benefit voters.

“We're redistricting for voters,” Hurd said. “We're not redistricting land. We're not redistricting incumbents.”

Hurd recommended redistricting for the most “compactness” of voters.

“You're going to hear from many people that the districts they want are compact,” Hurd said. “They're compact enough to achieve other purposes, but they're not compact in any historic sense.”

Al Peterson, a local realtor, thanked the committee for its work.

According to lawmakers, the “ideal” population for a district in the state House of Representatives is 44,000 voters while an “ideal” Senate district contains 119,000 voters. 

The committee also presented maps showing “malapportioned” districts, or districts with population apportioned deviating from the ideal numbers.

The Legislature has until February to complete redistricting, and Gov. John Bel Edwards has the authority to veto any proposed congressional and legislative district map. 

The U.S. Department of Justice is expected to scrutinize all redistricting plans to ensure compliance with the Voting Rights Act.