DOJ sues Georgia county, alleging violation of Black voters' rights

The Department of Justice has filed a lawsuit against Houston County, Ga., alleging its process for electing its board of commissioners violates Black voters' rights.

The county uses an at-large voting method, which usually means candidates are elected by a plurality of all voters in the jurisdiction.

But according to DOJ, the method means Black voters have less opportunity to elect candidates of choice, violating the Voting Rights Act.

Though Black residents make up more than 31 percent of Houston County’s voting-age population, the DOJ’s lawsuit argues there are “geographically and socially distinct Black and White communities.”

The last time a Black American was on the board was in 1992, despite Black voters in the county consistently voting for Black candidates.

Since 2002, the DOJ says, at least 85 percent of Black voters have supported Black candidates in general elections for the board of commissioners. But the White population usually defeats the preferred candidate of Black voters.

“The Voting Rights Act guarantees that all eligible citizens have an equal opportunity to participate in the democratic process and to elect representatives of their choice, regardless of race or ethnicity,” Kristen Clarke, assistant attorney general of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, said in a statement.

The DOJ argues that changing how commissioners are elected can give Black voters more opportunity to elect candidates of their choice.

If commissioners are elected from “fairly drawn single-member districts,” the DOJ argues, Black voters would have an equal opportunity to elect a representative of their choice to the Board.

The lawsuit seeks a federal court order requiring the county to implement a new method of electing the board of commissioners.

“The Justice Department has a solemn duty to protect the right to vote by enforcing the Voting Rights Act and ensuring that all communities have a fair and equal chance to participate,” said Clarke.

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