One week from today, the Supreme Court of the United States will hear oral arguments in Evenwel v. Abbott, a Texas redistricting case that seeks to base legislative districts on the number of eligible voters rather than the total population. This change, pushed by a Texas Republican Party operative, would deny representation to tens of millions of Americans, including those under the age of 18, legal permanent residents, and DREAMers.

In Florida, more than 4 million young people under 18 could be disenfranchised if Sue Evenwel has her way, of which more than 815,000 are African American and over 1 million are Hispanic.  

Florida Democratic Party Chair Allison Tant issued the following statement on this case and the potential disenfranchisement of millions of young people and minorities in Florida:  

“Every single person who calls Florida home deserves equal representation in the state legislature and has the right to be counted in our democratic process. Sue Evenwel’s flagrantly partisan attempt to deny representation to millions of Americans in their state legislative districts is a fundamental attack on this country’s democratic principles and threatens the ability of legislators to adequately represent and serve their communities.

“Our Founding Fathers made it abundantly clear that all residents of our country — even those who lacked the constitutional right to vote — were to be counted when establishing Congressional districts. There was no equivocating then, and there should be none now. The continued efforts by the Republican Party to use disenfranchisement, voter suppression, and unconstitutional redistricting maneuvers to gain an electoral advantage is beyond shameful.”