As a new election cycle gets underway with qualifying for municipal and state offices starting Wednesday, we can't help but note that h voters this fall face a dramatically changed landscape.
When the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in h v. Callais came down in April, fundamentally altering the understanding of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, we that we hoped it wouldn't be the end of the story and that voters would see the importance of their role in our democratic system.
Since then, we have seen legislators in multiple states quickly revise maps to give their party’s candidates an advantage. In h, that has meant the elimination of one of the state's two majority-Black congressional districts, which is held by Rep. Cleo Fields, D-Baton Rouge.
After Callais, congressional primaries set for May were abruptly canceled so lawmakers could redraw districts. In the newly configured 6th District, approved by the Legislature in May, a heated race among Republicans is expected. But Fields has already announced he won't run.
Just as in 2024, when the districts were redrawn to comply with a court order and then-Rep. decided not to seek the seat, we believe the political debate becomes poorer when voters have fewer .
And that is what is happening with the intense focus by political parties on rewarding loyalty above all else. We see fewer coalitions forming and fewer candidates who can talk across the aisle. We don't hear discussions of issues that are important to large swaths of voters. That, we fear, leads too many to believe they have no option of supporting someone who’d represent their point of view or focus on solving their problems.
Let's not forget that the Callais decision affects not just congressional elections, but also comes into play for redistricting for city councils and school boards — bodies where working collaboratively matters.
There is little that the average voter can do to change this state of affairs, but it should be clear to all that voting matters now more than ever.
This latest bout of redistricting seeks to guarantee the outcomes that party politicians want to see. But even as they "pack and crack" the electorate, their actions offer no guarantees, and indeed could make the paths of their favored candidates more perilous if voter turnout is greater than expected.
Our fervent wish is to get to a place in our state and in our country where politicians seek less to pick their voters, but rather pick up the challenge of tackling the priorities that matter to a broad majority of the electorate.
Until that day, though, we all have a responsibility to follow the campaigns, demand that candidates respond to voters and to show up at the ballot box to make our voices heard.