Guest column: Louisiana’s voting maps are an important piece of our democracy

Louisianans are living in a time of profound consequence where political ideology and political identity are at the center of fundamental questions impacting the state’s constitution, congressional maps and Supreme Court districts. If that weren’t enough, our Legislature’s ability, or lack thereof, to pass into law maps that comply with the Voting Rights Act and the United States Supreme Court’s recent decision in Milligan vs. Alabama place Louisiana in the national spotlight.

Voting rights advocates from around the country are paying close attention to whether our Legislature preemptively redraws our congressional maps to include two majority-Black congressional districts or continues its ill-advised legal pursuit to validate our state’s current congressional map. If our elected officials are able to do the former, Louisiana will have seized a crucial opportunity to lead both Southern states and conservative-led state governments towards realizing, as the founders penned, “a more perfect union” for our democracy.

Failure to construct fair and equitable maps leaves Louisiana vulnerable to judicial intervention, wastes taxpayer dollars and places our state once again on the wrong side of voting rights history.

Creating a more perfect union requires leaders with the courage to take incremental steps toward realizing the promises of our representative democracy. It is through these consequential steps that a more perfect union is realized. The inclusion of two majority-Black districts is one of these important steps. As such, political leaders in the Deep South can no longer afford to perpetuate the status quo of voter suppression and disenfranchisement.

Louisiana politicians who fail to ensure that all Louisianans — irrespective of their race, religion, education or geography — have the right to elect officials representing their values contradict what it means to be American. This special legislative session has provided Louisiana with the rare opportunity to distinguish its current trajectory from our complex past. This is an opportunity for our state to embrace what we as a country are supposed to be about — one person, one vote, one country.

The benefits Louisiana stands to gain by embracing its diversity are substantial. We live in a world where echo chambers of political affiliation continue to erode our institutions and harm our neighbors rather than promoting an environment of collective growth and prosperity. To that end, it is disappointing, yet unsurprising, that there is opposition to ensuring that all Louisiana residents are meaningfully able to participate in our political process. However, because those with power and influence continue to use political ideology and to a lesser extent one’s political identity to invoke fear in residents — fear of the unknown and fear of loss, particularly loss of power, prestige and prosperity — our democracy falls short of safeguarding that Black and other marginalized communities are able to enjoy the freedoms and protections our constitution and laws provide.

Consequently, it is important to highlight these factors when contemplating any decision of importance by the Legislature, as fear usually takes center stage in debates such as these where White residents look to mitigate the feelings associated with “losing” their voting power. That is why advocates in favor of implementing congressional maps to include two majority-Black districts must do all that we can to highlight that this legislative session isn’t about taking anything away, but instead ensuring everyone gets what they deserve under the law based on the growth and diversity of our population.

Finally, as the state’s conservative supermajority is poised to make its first major impression on our residents, it’s the hope of the Urban League of Louisiana that the Legislature wields its sacred authority to enact laws and our congressional Supreme Court maps justly. This is the occasion to do what is morally and legally correct without judicial intervention. Whether or not the Legislature is successful in enacting compliant maps, the Urban League of Louisiana will continue to ensure that Black Louisianans and other marginalized communities have the parity, power and civil rights they deserve and that our democracy demands.

Charles E.J. Phipps is the Urban League of Louisiana’s senior director for policy, advocacy and legal affairs.