My editorial in the Pacific Daily news about Davis v. Guam, the Section 2 case challenging the racially discriminatory status election which does not allow whites or Asians to participate.  A portion:

“The plaintiff in the lawsuit is a United States citizen who was denied the right to register to vote in the status election solely because he is white. Even in the Jim Crow south of the 1950s, blacks were legally allowed to register to vote if they could run the nasty gauntlet of character exams, citizenship quizzes and registration business hours which seemed to change anytime a black person went to the registration office.

While very few black citizens successfully navigated these racially motivated barriers to the ballot box, some did. In Guam, however, unless you are a member of the select racial group, you aren’t even allowed to register to vote in the status election. This is simply wrong. . . .

Camouflaging the racial discrimination in the Chamorro-only plebiscite does not change the fact it is racial discrimination. All citizens must be allowed to participate, or the political status election cannot take place under the law. . . .

Equality under the United States Constitution is a bedrock principle found wherever the American flag flies. Guam is no different. . . .

Eliminating any racially discriminatory component to the status election is about more than legal violations. It is also about treating your neighbors how you wish to be treated. Every person has individual dignity and should be treated equally by the law. No person has the right to say their opinions are more important than someone else’s opinion just because of their skin color, or the skin color of a grandparent. The human dignity of each person not permitted to participate in the status election is violated by the racially restrictive law challenged by the lawsuit.