United States v. Meridian School District Notice to Set Hearing and File Response

Public Court Documents
June 9, 1970

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United States v. Meridian School District Notice to Set Hearing and File Response preview

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  • Case Files, Thornburg v. Gingles Working Files - Guinier. H. Rep Debate RE: Bloc Voting and Vote Dilution, 1981. 4521ec90-dc92-ee11-be37-6045bdeb8873. LDF Archives, Thurgood Marshall Institute. https://ldfrecollection.org/archives/archives-search/archives-item/5b2e77c1-441f-42e6-bca6-9dd0b641ebaf/h-rep-debate-re-bloc-voting-and-vote-dilution. Accessed August 19, 2025.

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H. Rep at 17 : "The Congress and the courts have long recognized
that protectj-on of the franchise extends beyond mere prohibition
of official actions designed to keep voters away from the poIls,
it also includes prohibition of state actions which so manipulate
the elections process as to render the vote meaningless. "'The right to vote can be affected by a dilution of voting
power as well as by an absolute prohibition on casting a bal-
Iot. ' / 42
42/Allen v. State Board of Elections, 393 U.S. 544, 569 (1969),
Reyolds v. Sims, 377 U.S. 533, 555 (1964).

H. Rep at 18: "Certain kinds of practices or changes, can
nullify minorities' ability to elect the candidate of their
choj-ce just as would prohibiting some of them from voting."
H. Rep at 18: "There are a number of practices and procedures in
the electoral process which individually or in combination result
in inhibiting or diluting minority political particj-pation and
voting strength . such as at large elections, high fees and
bonding requirements, shifts from elective to appointive offj-ce,
majority vote run-off requirements, residency requirements,
annexations/retrocessions, incorporations, and malapportionment
and racial gerryImandering] .

Although these election practices or devices are used
throughout the country, in covered jurisdictions, where there j-s
severe racially polarized votJ-ng, they often dilute emerging
minority political strength. "

H. Rep at 18-19: examples of such vote dilution techniques: at-
large elections, anti-single shot votingr rndjority vote, numbered
posts, residency restrictions, staggered terms, racial gerrymand-
ering, and malapportionment.

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