In Nevada, “Republicans claim the Democratic plan dilutes the influence of Hispanic voters by spreading them into different districts. Democrats accuse the Republicans of packing minority voters into a few districts to limit their influence in other districts.” This argument and counter-argument on the role of the Voting Rights Act is taking place across the country.
excerpt from story:
Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval vetoed a redistricting bill Saturday that was zipped through the Legislature by Democratic lawmakers, accusing the majority party of seeking political gain and violating the Voting Rights Act.
“This plan ensures partisan opportunity rather than fair representation of all Nevadans,” the Republican governor said in a two-page veto message that touched off a volley of partisan snapping. “Partisan gerrymandering is not legal, equitable or acceptable.”
Sandoval, the first Hispanic to move into the Silver State’s Governor’s Mansion, said the maps drawn by Democrats dilute the power of minority voters. Hispanics make up about a quarter of the state’s population.
“In the last 10 years, the Hispanic community in our state has grown significantly,” Sandoval said. “The law and common sense requires that we recognize this fact and afford Hispanics an equal opportunity to election representatives of their choosing.”
Democratic leadership was swift to fire back, calling the governor’s veto “an overt act of partisanship designed to appease his Republican base.”
“The Republican Party’s record on Hispanic issues borders between ambivalent and atrocious, so their sudden interest in taking up the mantle of minority voting rights must be examined,” Sen. Mo Denis, D-Las Vegas and chairman of the Senate Hispanic caucus, said in a statement. “Our community will not be used by the Republican Party in a transparent attempt to pack Hispanic voters in to as few districts as possible in hope of winning more Republican seats.”
New voting boundaries must be drawn every 10 years based on Census data. This year, 21 Nevada Senate and 42 Assembly districts must be drawn, and a fourth congressional district must be carved out.