Tamieka Atkins
Navigating the Maze: Redistricting, Gerrymandering, and the Threat to Voting Rights
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Navigating the Maze: Redistricting, Gerrymandering, and the Threat to Voting Rights
Tamieka Atkins
Executive Director, ProGeorgia
In the decade since the landmark Supreme Court case Shelby County v. Holder (2013) dealt a severe blow to voting rights protections, there has been a concerted and insidious effort across the country to use redistricting and gerrymandering to limit the fundamental right to vote for communities of color.
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Decades of discriminatory practices, from Jim Crow laws to voter suppression tactics, have sought to marginalize the voices of Black and brown citizens. Those consequences are embedded deeply within the fabric of our democracy. The Brennan Center for Justice found that in areas of the country previously covered by Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act, which Shelby v. Holder dismantled, racial disparities in voting grew exponentially. In a March 2024 report, the Center highlighted that “between 2010 and 2022, the gap between White Americans and Americans of color grew by five percentage points to 18 points” (Morris & Grange, 2024). The report goes on to say that in 2020, 9 million more ballots would have been cast “had voters of color voted at the same rate as White voters”. In 2022, 14 million more ballots would have been cast. This points to an astronomical suppression of votes.
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In Georgia, we have had to become more vigilant and innovative each year in fighting voter suppression bills introduced and passed by our general assembly. For example, Senate Bill 202, enacted in March 2021, introduced stringent voter identification requirements for absentee ballots, limited the use of ballot drop boxes, and prohibited the provision of food and water to voters waiting in line. The bill also reduced the number of days for requesting absentee ballots and allowed state takeover of local election boards, which sparked widespread controversy and legal challenges. Another significant piece of legislation, House Bill 531, sought to limit weekend early voting days, restrict mobile voting units, and reduce early voting hours, but it stalled in the Senate and did not become law. The opportunistic nature of those bills and their impact on rolling back voting rights in our state and across the country is a problem of universal concern that is neither one-sided nor partisan. From progressives to moderates to conservatives, people on all points of the political spectrum are rightfully profoundly concerned by the broken promises of our democracy.
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My organization, ProGeorgia, has invested funds, manpower, and resources in fair districting since 2018. From humble roots more than a decade ago, starting with a small circle of 13 founding organizations, to a cohort of 61 member organizations in 2023, ProGeorgia has become the leading convener of democracy-aligned nonprofits across the state. With footprints in rural, urban, and suburban communities, our partners are focused on everything from environmental and reproductive justice to LGBTQ+ rights, civic and democratic engagement for justice-impacted individuals, redistricting, immigrant rights, election administration, and a host of issues in between.
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ProGeorgia partners have been instrumental in helping to get 97 percent of Georgia residents registered to vote. Last year, we launched two new workgroups - a Rights Restoration Workgroup, which plans to engage 600+ justice-impacted citizens to reinstate their voting and other rights, and a Youth Engagement Workgroup, which aims to increase civic participation and uplift young people and youth leadership. We are keeping our eyes toward 2030 and have been laying the groundwork to educate voters on how they can maintain and strengthen their democratic power. One key element in this fight was the launch of Georgia Redistricting Alliance (GRA), which has been blazing a trail forward over four years.
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Communities of color have always been at the forefront of this struggle, facing the dire repercussions of gerrymandering on top of a host of other voting rights threats and challenges. Part of the work of fighting these issues is the tireless education required to demonstrate to Georgians that gerrymandering is not merely a political maneuver; it is a threat to the core of our democracy—the right to vote.
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GRA has been beating the drum that the act of strategically carving out districts allows politicians to manipulate the electoral process and silence our voices. It has also advocated for comprehensive electoral reforms prioritizing fairness, transparency, and equitable representation. Redistricting processes that are guided by principles that ensure the protection of minority voting rights and the voices of communities of color must be central to the decision-making process.
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Today, redistricting stands as a contemporary battleground where the fight for equitable representation continues, and the gerrymandering we are seeing not only undermines the democratic principle of fair representation but poses a direct threat to the voting rights of marginalized communities.
The echoes of historic injustices persist in our electoral system, and it is our responsibility to dismantle the barriers that threaten the voting rights of communities of color. Through education, activism, and advocacy, we can build a more inclusive democracy that truly reflects the rich tapestry of our nation's diversity.
References
Morris, K., & Grange, C. (2024). (rep.). Growing Racial Disparities in Voter Turnout, 2008-2022. Brennan Center for Justice. Retrieved from https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/growing-racial-disparities-voter-turnout-2008-2022.