United States – Some liberal nonprofit organizations have sought an injunction in a federal court claiming that the Republican-dominated Florida Legislature intentionally discriminates against Hispanics in its drawing of electoral districts, as reported by Associated Press.
Lawsuit Challenges Unconstitutional Contemplated Districts
A legal action filed on Thursday wants the court to declare the proposed congressional and state House districts as unconstitutional with the plaintiffs demanding that they should not be used in any election. The accused parties are the Florida House of Representatives and Florida Secretary of State Cord Byrd.
Allegations of Misguided Assumptions and Minority Community Division
Critics argue that the Florida Legislature erroneously assumed homogeneity among South Florida’s Hispanic voters, disregarding their diverse political behaviors and preferences, and further allege that minority communities of interest were split during the districting process.
Specific Districts Under Scrutiny
Challenged congressional districts include 19, 26, 27, and 28, spanning from Fort Myers through the Miami area to the Florida Keys. Additionally, seven House districts, all located in the Miami region, are under scrutiny.
Violations of Redistricting Standards
Plaintiffs assert that the Florida Legislature violated fundamental principles of district drawing, failing to preserve community integrity, maintain compactness, and avoid unnecessary fragmentation, as required by redistricting standards, as reported by Associated Press.
Concerns Over Representation and Neighborhood Cohesion
The existing claims point to the fundamental principles of reasonable and proportional representation, and community cohesiveness, and this has a way of provoking this assertion, as an affirmation of the fact that it is high time that the boundaries of the districts of South Florida are redrawn in a manner that gives the due representation of the community.