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By Kanishka Singh
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Justice Department on Thursday filed a lawsuit against Houston County, Georgia, challenging the county’s board of commissioners election system, saying the process violates the rights of black voters.
The major mechanism is that black citizens have fewer opportunities to participate in the political process and vote for candidates than other members of the electorate, which violates the Voting Rights Act, the Justice Department said.
The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia, seeks a court order to implement a new method of electing the board of commissioners, the Justice Department said.
“For example, by electing commissioners from fairly drawn single-member districts rather than countywide, black voters would have an equal opportunity to elect their preferred representative to the board,” the Justice Department said.
The department, which says black residents make up more than 31% of the county’s voting age, says Houston County has elected just one black commissioner since the end of the Civil War.
Houston County is home to 163,000 people, and countywide elections fill each of the five commission seats.
The Houston County Board of Commissioners said the U.S. Department of Justice has informed the county of its multi-year investigation, and the two sides have been in discussions.
“After reviewing all the documents and evidence, if we agree with the DOJ regarding a violation of the Voting Rights Act, we will take appropriate action at that time,” the commissioners said in a statement cited by NBC News.
Houston County Commissioners criticized the timing of the Justice Department’s actions ahead of the new administration in Washington next week as Democratic President Joe Biden handed over to Republican President-elect Donald Trump.
