The federal appeals court in Atlanta on Tuesday upheld a district judge’s ruling that the redistricting of Sumter County’s school board six years ago violated the Voting Rights Act.
The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals also upheld that judge’s creation of four county school districts where more than 60% of the voting population is made up of Black residents, giving them a better chance to win a majority of seats.
The unanimous ruling was a victory for Rev. Mathis Kearse Wright Jr., who sued the Sumter County Board of Elections in 2014 when the size of the school board was reduced from nine members to seven.
Previously, all nine members had come from single-member districts, but the changes created five single member districts and two at-large seats. It also flipped the district’s Black members’ 6-3 majority to a 2-5 minority.
The 11th Circuit noted there were 7,604 Black residents (48.5%) registered to vote in Sumter County and 7,327 whites (46.7%) on the voter rolls.
Senior U.S. District Judge Louis Sands in Albany, who presided over the case since 2014, had found the school districts wrongly diluted the votes of Black residents, violating the landmark 1965 law that prohibits racial discrimination in elections. He also changed the seven-member board with two at-large seats to one with only single-member districts.
“The right to vote is sacred,” said Bryan Sells, lead plaintiff’s counsel in the case. “Today’s decision ensures that all of Sumter County’s voters will have a voice in electing school board members, and it shows the continuing need for the Voting Rights Act to protect against discrimination.”
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