Governor Vetoes Florida’s Court-Approved Redistricting Map
Governor Ron DeSantis has vetoed a new congressional map approved by fellow Republicans, Democrats and the Florida Supreme Court. It is a move opponents charge is designed to reduce the voting power of Black Floridians. Jasmine Burney-Clark, founder and consulting director of Equal Ground Action Fund, a Black-led voting rights group, explained the veto, and the governor’s previous interference with redistricting, are new milestones in Florida’s history of suppressing minority voters. “This has not happened in the history of our state, but what has happened is that Florida is known for gerrymandering, in creating maps and district lines that favor a specific political party,” Burney-Clark observed. “And we see that he is following in those same footsteps.” DeSantis has called a special mid-April legislative session to draw a new congressional map. A memorandum from the Office of the Governor justifies the move, claiming states “may not separate citizens into different voting dist...