Guaranteed voting outcomes
Chicago Tribune columnist Clarence Page gives some perspective to Jesse Jackson's warning that President Bush plans to gut the Voting Rights Act. The part of the act he's talking about, which will expire in 2007 unless it's renewed, explains Page, is Section 5. It "prohibits 'retrogression': any change in district boundaries that would diminish a district's percentage of black voters."
Page astutely points out that, in reality, Republicans aren't about to do away with this provision because it works to their advantage. How?
When predominantly black communities are drawn (or gerrymandered) together into legislative districts, that helps guarantee the election of black, Democratic representatives. But the process allows the creation of adjoining districts that contain a lot fewer black Democrats, giving strong advantages in those areas to white Republican candidates.
North Carolina provides many examples of this. For instance, our 12th Congressional District offers a safe seat for Mel Watt, a black Democrat from Charlotte. But neighboring districts are safe havens for white Republicans Howard Coble, Robin Hayes and Sue Myrick. That's a pretty good tradeoff for Republicans.
Of course, members of the Congressional Black Caucus, who were lobbying Bush for his support of Section 5 extension, are protecting their own interests. Like all incumbents, they want to keep their friendly districts and guarantee their own re-election.
What we've got, however - and it's not only because of the Voting Rights Act by any means - is a system of incumbent protection at all levels, from city councils to county commissions to state legislatures to the U.S. House of Representatives. Look at how many incumbents run in election after election in uncontested races or with token opposition. In North Carolina, there are only a few truly competitive legislative districts. Across the country, there are very few congressional districts where Republicans and Democrats contend on equal footing. There is not a single one in North Carolina.
Sadly, guaranteed voting rights in this country have been manipulated into a system of guaranteed voting outcomes. No wonder so many people don't even care to vote.