The Louisiana Senate approved a proposal Wednesday that would redraw the state’s congressional districts and reduce Louisiana from two majority-Black congressional districts to one, advancing an ongoing debate over voting representation and redistricting ahead of future election cycles.
Senators passed Senate Bill 121 by a 27-10 vote after hours of debate over proposed amendments. Two of Louisiana’s 39 senators were absent during the vote. Lawmakers later tabled a motion to reconsider, giving the measure final Senate approval.
The proposed congressional map would create a 5-1 Republican advantage in Louisiana’s congressional delegation and rejects an alternative proposal that would have maintained two majority-Black districts.
Supporters of the measure argued the proposal complies with recent court rulings and was designed to withstand future legal challenges tied to redistricting and the Voting Rights Act.
As debate over the proposal continued at the Capitol, I asked State Senate President Cameron Henry what message lawmakers were sending to voters across Louisiana with the newly approved map.
“The court said we have to draw a new map. We couldn't continue with the election we have now. The governor took action on that, so we had to put forth a map that we think can stand a court challenge as well as abide by the redistricting rules, which now, the maps have to be drawn by party. You also have to focus on incumbency, which we've done. And when you do that, plus trying to get exactly 776,292 people in each district, that's what we did today,” Henry said.
Henry also defended the proposal by arguing lawmakers were attempting to comply with court orders while avoiding additional legal challenges.
“Well, then we're abiding by what the court wants us to do, right? I mean, again, and I don't mean to be repetitive, the court said your 4-2 map didn't work, and you needed to draw a new map immediately. We don't want to get sued again, so we picked a map that we think is best suited to be successful in court, driven by party, the 5-1 map,” Henry said.
Critics of the proposal argue the new map weakens minority voting power and eliminates representation gains made under previous district boundaries. Supporters, however, point to a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that changed how the Voting Rights Act applies to redistricting cases.
The bill now moves to the Louisiana House of Representatives, where lawmakers will decide whether the proposal advances closer to final approval ahead of upcoming election cycles.
