ACRU Defends One-Person, One-Vote

Washington, D.C., August 5, 2015 (Newswire.com) - – In a brief submitted today at the U.S. Supreme Court, the American Civil Rights Union (ACRU) contends that a Texas policy that includes non-citizens in apportioning districts gives areas with large numbers of non-citizens undue political power.

“The practical result …  is that the votes of the residents of districts with larger non-citizen populations count roughly one and a half as much as the votes of the residents of other districts,” states ACRU’s brief in Evenwel v. Abbott.

“The doctrine of one-person, one-vote logically grows directly out of the right to vote itself,” states the ACRU brief. “The equal right of all to vote logically gives rise to the right of all to an equal vote…"

“The precedents of this Court make clear that the doctrine protects the right of every voter to an equal vote…. As [the Court in Reynolds v. Sims (1964)] explained, the Equal Protection Clause protects ‘the right of all qualified citizens to vote. Other rights, even the most basic, are illusory if the right to vote is undermined.’”

The ACRU’s brief cites numerous cases in which the U.S. Justice Department has used citizenship data to determine whether voters are being treated equally, and further notes that, “the fact that the DOJ looks to citizenship data not only enhances the propriety of the use of such data but it also exemplifies that such data is reliable and available.”

“This case will go far in determining the future of the American ideal of fair elections,” said ACRU Chairman Susan A. Carleson.  “The right of citizens’ votes to be counted fairly is fundamental to protecting all their other rights.”

--30--

The ACRU publicly advances a constitutional understanding of Americans' essential rights and freedoms. It files amicus briefs in key civil rights cases and litigates to protect the integrity of our election process.

Policy Expert

J. Christian Adams is the President and General Counsel of the Public Interest Legal Foundation.   He served from 2005 to 2010 in the Voting Section at the United States Department of Justice. He is the author of the New York Times bestseller Injustice: Exposing the Racial Agenda of the Obama Justice Department. He litigates election law cases throughout the United States and brought the first private party litigation resulting in the cleanup of corrupted voter rolls under the National Voter Registration Act of 1993.  He represented multiple presidential campaigns in election litigation.  He successfully litigated the landmark case of United States v. Ike Brown in the Southern District of Mississippi, the first case brought under the Voting Rights Act on behalf of a discriminated-against white minority in Noxubee County.  Prior to his time at the Justice Department, he served as General Counsel to the South Carolina Secretary of State.  He also serves as legal editor at PJ Media and appears frequently on Fox News and has appeared at National Review, Breitbart, the Washington Examiner, American Spectator, Washington Times and other publications. He also serves on the Policy Board of the American Civil Rights Union.  He has a law degree from the University of South Carolina School of Law. He is a member of the South Carolina and Virginia Bars.

ABOUT AMERICAN CIVIL RIGHTS UNION

The ACRU publicly advances a constitutional understanding of Americans' essential rights and freedoms. It files amicus briefs in key civil rights cases and litigates to protect the integrity of our election process.​

Contact Information:
Susan Carleson 
American Civil Rights Union
3213 Duke Street, Suite 625​
​Alexandria, VA 22314

​Tel. (703) 566-2696
​Email: susan.carleson@theacru.org