BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) — The Louisiana Legislative Black Caucus wants Governor John Bel Edwards to veto the Congressional maps approved during the redistricting session.
The Louisiana House of Representatives and the State Senate approved Congressional maps that do not create a second minority-majority district.
Soon after the session adjourned, the Louisiana Legislative Black Caucus issued a statement calling on Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards to veto the congressional plan.
In a statement released, the Legislative Black Caucus said these Congressional maps do not comply with the Voting Rights Act, and they do not comply with the will of the people. Therefore, the Louisiana Legislative Black Caucus is requesting that the Governor veto SB 5 and HB 1.
Edwards also released a statement saying he wants the maps to acknowledge the Black population growth in the state.
“I remain adamant that the maps should reflect the growth of the African American population in our state over the last 10 years, allowing for minority groups to have an opportunity at electing candidates of their own choosing, and I do have concerns that several of the maps do not fulfill that moral and legal requirement” said Governor Edwards.
Edwards hasn’t said if he’ll veto the maps, only promising to carefully examine them to make sure they are in line with the Voting Rights Act.