Photo of NY Attorney General Letitia James (Thomas Good / Next Left Notes)
July 8, 2024 Story by: Editor
New York Attorney General Letitia James has entered a local redistricting lawsuit to defend the New York Voting Rights Act (NYVRA), a state law safeguarding minority voters and prohibiting vote dilution at the local level.
James is intervening in a case brought by a Cheektowaga resident challenging the at-large system used for electing the Cheektowaga Town Board under the NYVRA.
The lawsuit contends that Cheektowaga’s six-member board fails to provide adequate representation for Black residents, advocating instead for the adoption of a map featuring six single-member districts in future town board elections. It alleges that the current at-large system has repeatedly prevented the election of preferred candidates by Black voters, a situation that would be rectified under a districting arrangement.
In response, the town argues that the NYVRA violates both state and U.S. constitutional provisions. This legal challenge presents a significant test for the law’s future. In defense of the statute’s constitutionality, the attorney general has intervened, stating in her motion that she has “elected to intervene in support of the statute’s constitutionality.”
The attorney general plans to submit a comprehensive brief outlining her arguments in favor of the NYVRA by August 23.
State-level voting rights acts play a crucial role in ensuring diverse representation at the local level, providing voters with a tool to combat discrimination in voting and redistricting. Currently, Democracy Docket is monitoring five active lawsuits leveraging the NYVRA to challenge local representation throughout New York. Source: Democracy Docket
