End Citizens United // Let America Vote Action Fund President Tiffany Muller released the following statement after the Texas legislature passed their gerrymandered congressional map:
“In the middle of the night yesterday, Texas Republicans passed one of the most egregiously gerrymandered congressional maps so far. The map reduces the number of minority-majority districts, despite the fact that 95% of the population growth in Texas last decade was from communities of color.
“Texas’ map dilutes the power of the voice and vote of communities of color in a cynical attempt by Texas politicians to choose the voters they want to represent, preventing Texas voters from having the fair and equal representation that they deserve.
“As GOP-led state legislatures like Texas continue to move quickly to draw unfair districts, it is urgent that the U.S. Senate passes the Freedom to Vote Act. This legislation is a critical anti-corruption and voting rights bill that would end partisan gerrymandering, ensuring that voters get to choose their representatives, not the other way around.”
The Freedom to Vote Act would set national standards for redistricting by outlawing maps that are gerrymandered in a partisan way; strengthening protections for communities of color by allowing easier access for minority voters to challenge maps that dilute the power of their voices and votes in court; increasing transparency and accessibility in the map-drawing process by requiring states to quickly update the public on map-drawing procedures; and allowing for an expedited and fair court process for lawsuits challenging a map deemed as a partisan gerrymander.
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