For the first time ever, America’s white population declined, while people of color accounted for almost all of the population growth over the last decade in the country. But the once-a-decade redistricting process, set to unfold over the next few months, will determine whether the population growth among Latinos and other minorities translates into meaningful political power. “Extraordinary growth of the Latino population, everywhere in the country, means that there should be new opportunities to create Latino-majority districts,” he said. In 2011, Republican lawmakers carved up the state’s districts in such a way to increase the voting power of white citizens over Latinos. On paper, they made it look like Latinos had political power, when they did not.

Source: The Guardian August 17, 2021 09:56 UTC