Civil Rights Groups Sue Gwinnett County Over Voting Rights

LAWRENCEVILLE, GA — A trio of civil rights groups filed a federal lawsuit against Gwinnett County on Monday, saying district lines in the county dilute minority voting strength.

The Georgia NAACP, Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials and Lawyers' Committee For Civil Rights Under Law filed the suit in U.S. District Court, alleging that Gwinnett has violated the 1965 Voting Rights Act.

"Gwinnett County is the most racially diverse county in the southeastern United States ... yet no minority candidate has ever won election to the County Board of Commissioners or Board of Education," said Kristen Clarke, president and executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee.

"We believe that the lack of diversity on these boards is attributable to the current district maps, which dilute minority voting strength by packing and fragmenting the minority population."

Blacks, Latinos and Asian-Americans make up about 43% of the voting age population in Gwinnett County.

The lawsuit "seeks to level the playing field to give minority voters a fair opportunity to elect candidates of their choice," Clarke said.

A press release from the groups claims that Gwinnett's current Board of Education district map packs 74.4% of the county's African American, Latino and Asian American voters into one district -- District 5 -- while spreading the remainder out among four other districts.

The Board of Commissioners map, meanwhile, unnecessarily divides minority voters among four districts, minimizing their impact in each, the lawsuit claims.

The groups say that two majority-minority districts should be drawn for both the county commission and school board.

“When district lines have been drawn to marginalize minority voters, a lawsuit brought under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act is sometimes the only way minority voters can achieve parity with White voters and have the ability to elect candidates who are responsive to their needs and concerns," said Francys Johnson, state president of the Georgia NAACP.

In a written statement, county officials said Monday they could not comment on the lawsuit because they had not yet been served with copies of it. Attorneys will review the suit and brief commissioners and the county elections board, the statement said.