Loading...
Loading...
Click here if you don’t see subscription options
The EditorsApril 14, 2016

The Supreme Court unanimously ruled on April 4 that states may count all residents, not only eligible voters, in drawing election districts so that they are all approximately the same size. The decision was hailed as an affirmation of the equal-representation principle, but it raises rather than resolves the question of who has the right to be heard in state legislatures, city councils and the like.

The court declined to require states to essentially reduce the number of districts in areas with disproportionate numbers of non-voters—which can include children, the “mentally incompetent,” immigrants who have not obtained citizenship and those who have lost their voting rights because of criminal convictions. But the court did not prohibit this practice either. As The Wall Street Journal editorialized, approvingly, “That leaves the door open for states to experiment with their own apportionment metrics in the future.”

The United States does not need this kind of experimentation. There is no ethical or moral justification for shifting political power—and, inevitably, government funding that is often awarded on the basis of legislative seats—to communities that have few children or that discourage group facilities such as halfway houses for ex-offenders. The misleadingly named Project on Fair Representation, which advocates such a shift and has also challenged the Voting Rights Act, may be back before the Supreme Court in support of any state that takes up The Wall Street Journal’s challenge. If that happens, we hope for a more conclusive, and a more inclusive, decision.

Comments are automatically closed two weeks after an article's initial publication. See our comments policy for more.

The latest from america

A Homily for the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles, by Father Terrance Klein
Terrance KleinJune 25, 2025
The example of Blessed Floribert Bwana Chui shows us how to live for Christ: by dedicating ourselves to prayer, the poor and peace.
Pietro BartoliJune 25, 2025
The six-day certification course aims to teach ‘how to honor deserving candidates and expedite their path to sainthood in the Vatican,’ according to the center’s website.
History's first American pope reaffirmed Wednesday that the primary role of bishops is to forge unity in his diocese among clergy and to be close to his flock in word and deed.