AcherubholdinganopenbookadornsaflagpoleontheplazaoftheSupremeCourtinWashington,Monday,April4,2016.Thejusticesruledinacaseinvolvingtheconstitutionalprincipleof“oneperson,onevote”andunanimouslyupheldaTexaslawthatcountseveryone,notjusteligiblevoters,indecidinghowtodrawdistricts.(AssociatedPress)
“Oneperson,onevote”isaguidingprincipleofAmericandemocracy.Butitsexactmeaningcontinuestobedebated.
TheU.S.SupremeCourtrecentlydecidedonedispute.
InApril,thecourtruledthatstatescancountallresidentstosetupelectiondistrictsandnotjustthoseallowedtovote.
TheissueisimportantbecauseitdecideshowmanyseatsinCongressandlegislaturesaregivenstatesandlocalcommunities.
SupremeCourtJusticeRuthBaderGinsburgwrotethedecision.Inherruling,sheprovidedahistorylesson.
In1776,whentheU.S.declaredindependencefromGreatBritain,onlypeoplewhoownedpropertycouldvote.Itwasnotuntil1920thatwomenwontherighttovote.
Slaveswerenotpermittedtovote.IttooktheVotingRightsActof1964toendrulesthatstoppedAfrican-Americansfromvotinginsomesouthernstates.
In2016,childrenunder18stillcannotvote.Norcanprisoners.
Butinherruling,Ginsburgwrotethenation’sfoundersbelievedeveryone---whethertheyvotedornot–shouldberepresentedbytheirgovernment.Shesaidallpeopleneedgovernmentservices.
“Representativesserveallresidents,notjustthoseeligibletovote,”Ginsburgwrote.
MichaelLiworksonvotingrightsissuesfortheBrennanCenterforDemocracyinNewYork.HesaidtheSupremeCourtrulingisimportant.
“Wefoughtarevolutionovertaxationwithoutrepresentationandearlyoninourhistorywedecidedthatpeopleshouldberepresentedthesameway,whethertheyvoteorcan’tvote,”Lisaid.
HesaidtheSupremeCourtrulingwillhelpundocumentedimmigrantsbecausetheywillcontinuetogetcounted,eveniftheycannotvote.
TwoSupremeCourtJustices–ClarenceThomasandSamuelAlito--alsovotedwithGinsburginthe8-0ruling.Buttheysaidtherulingshouldhavelimitedeffects.
ThomasandAlitosaidtherulingmeansthestatescandrawelectiondistrictsbasedonallresidents--notjustvoters.Therulingdoesnotmeanthestatesmustdothis.
“TheConstitutionleavesthechoicetothepeoplealone–nottothiscourt,”Thomaswrote.
Currently,all50statesuseU.S.CensusBureaudatatodeterminerepresentation.Thatincludesallthosecounted–bothvotersandnon-voters.
Historyof“oneperson,onevote”
Americanhistoryisfulloffightsabouthowtodefine“oneperson,onevote.”
In1787,therewasadisputebetweenthenorthernstates,whereslaverywasillegal,andsouthernstates,whereslaverywaspermitted.
IntheNorth,peoplearguedstatesthatdenyAfrican-Americanstherighttovote–andallotherfreedoms–shouldnotcountthemforrepresentationinCongress.
Asacompromise,aslavewascountedas3/5ofaperson.Withtheendofslaveryin1865aftertheCivilWar,theruleended.
In1964,theSupremeCourtruledthatstatesmustcreatelegislativedistrictsbasedonequalrepresentation.Atthetime,somebigcities,suchasLosAngeles,weregiventhesamerepresentationinstatelegislaturesassmallcommunities.
Thereareothervotingissuesthatlikelywillmaketheirwaythroughthecourts.OneiswhetherrequiringvoterstoshowpictureidentificationviolatestheConstitution’sequalprotectionguarantee.
Supporterssayrequiringidentificationreducesfraud.Butopponentssayfraudisnotaproblem.Theysaytherequirementwillmakeithardforminoritiesandolderpeoplewithoutidentificationtovote.
Therefore,theseopponentssay,requiringpictureidentificationviolatestheprincipleof“oneperson,onevote.”
principle–n.amoralruleorbeliefthathelpsyouknowwhatisrightandwrongandthatinfluencesyouractions
residents–n.peoplewholiveinacommunity
eligible–v.abletodoorreceivesomething
revolution-n.theusuallyviolentattemptbymanypeopletoendtheruleofonegovernmentandstartanewone
lesson-n.somethinglearnedthroughexperience;somethingthatistaught
fraud-n.cheating;usingdishonestmethodstomakesomethingvaluefromanotherperson
