Statement from Rev. Al Sharpton and NAN regarding the Supreme Court’s Decision on Gerrymandering

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Jun 27, 2019

NEW YORK (June 27, 2019) — It is a sad day for democracy in the United States. The Supreme Court abdicated its duty to preserve free and fair elections with its negligent decision to not strike down partisan gerrymandering but instead asking states to draw maps without judicial review. The highest court in the land, in fact, chose to condone partisan gerrymandering, a political tactic that has long been used to suppress political representation for black and brown voters and ultimately helped to elect Trump.

This week marks the sixth Anniversary of the Supreme Court’s Shelby v. Holder decision which gutted section 4 of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. Since the Shelby decision, we have seen an increase in Jim Crow Era election practices. Gerrymandering, voter ID laws, and voter roll purging are all racist tactics to suppress the votes of low income and black and brown people.

National Action Network (NAN) will continue to fight for Black and Brown communities, and speak out against supporters of this race-based American tradition.