WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Supreme Court decided Monday that all residents must be counted when drawing election districts, affirming “one person, one vote”.
According to the Project on Fair Representation, Sue Evenwel and Edward Pfenninger, Texas voters, challenged the malapportioned senatorial voting districts enacted by the Texas Legislature on June 23, 2013 and signed into law by Governor Rick Perry on June 26, 2013 (“Plan S172”). The lawsuit alleges that Plan S172 is unconstitutional under the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution and are seeking a court order requiring the Texas Legislature to reapportion state senatorial voting districts in conformity with the Fourteenth Amendment to ensure that all votes in Texas State Senate elections will be weighted equally with those of other qualified electors.
This decision, which now requires all states to follow this guideline, is being hailed as a victory for urban areas (which tend to lean Democratic), over rural areas, which tend to lean Republican.
According to the New York Times, “Counting all people amplifies the voting power of places that have large numbers of residents who cannot vote legally — including immigrants who are here legally but are not citizens, illegal immigrants, children and prisoners. Those places tend to be urban and to vote Democratic.”
