Columbia, SC –Today, the Supreme Court of the United States heard oral arguments in Evenwel v. Abbot, a Texas redistricting case that would deny representation to anyone who isn’t a voter, including every child and minor under 18, by changing how state legislative districts are drawn. Everyone should be counted in our democracy, which is why the Constitution requires it when drawing congressional districts. State legislative districts should also count everyone.
If Sue Evenwel gets her way, in South Carolina this case could leave an estimated 1,080,739 young people under the age of 18 disenfranchised — 49% who are young women; 330,338 are African Americans; and 85,890 Hispanics. To be clear, that affects 99.2% of Hispanic-Americans under 18 who are U.S.-born citizens.
“When I took the oath of office I pledged to serve all of my constituents. That’s true regardless of who they were or how they voted. As elected officials we cannot allow anyone to be disenfranchised, if we are serious about the integrity of our democracy,” said State Senator Gerald Malloy. “This case threatens to exclude far too many including every child and minor under 18, and far too many hardworking taxpayers across our state and country. America is best served when we count everyone, and everyone counts in our democracy.”
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