Attorney General Bonta Urges Court to Uphold Anti-Discrimination Protections Under the Voting Rights Act

OAKLAND – California Attorney General Rob Bonta today urged the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit to affirm a federal district court’s ruling that Georgia’s congressional and legislative maps violate Section Two of the Voting Rights Act (VRA). Attorney General Bonta joined a coalition of 19 attorneys general in filing an amicus brief in Grant, et al., v. Secretary of State of Georgia, highlighting the importance of civic engagement from all voters regardless of race, color, or membership in minority-language group,  and ensuring that every citizen has the right to vote. The coalition urges the court to affirm the lower court’s ruling that Georgia’s congressional and legislative maps violate Section Two of the VRA by impermissibly diluting minority voting strength.

“The Fifteenth Amendment guarantees all U.S. citizens the right to vote, regardless of race, color, or background,” said Attorney General Bonta. “Unfortunately, there are those who believe the only way they can win is by denying access and suppressing voters. Your right to vote shouldn’t be determined by the language you speak, color of your skin, or race. My office is committed to pushing back against those who seek the disenfranchisement of voters.” 

 In 1965, Congress enacted the VRA to stop discriminatory voting practices and to enforce the 15th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The Fifteenth Amendment guarantees that the right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude. Section Two of the VRA prohibits voting practices or procedures that discriminate on the basis of race, color, or membership in one of the language minority groups identified in the Act. Disenfranchisement of American voters in the United States can have widespread effects on our democracy. The voter dilution concern raised by maps like Georgia’s is that a group of individuals and their communities as a whole face diminished voting power and lose out on opportunities to influence through voting. In the amicus brief, the coalition asserts that the remedy provided under VRA Section Two including race-conscious redistricting is constitutional and that it provides a private right of action.

In filing the amicus brief letter, Attorney General Bonta joins the attorneys general of the District of Columbia, New York, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington.

A copy of the amicus brief is available here.