Kansas Democrats sue over Republican redistricting law

Kansas Democrats are suing top Republican officials over the state’s new redistricting law, which decreased the party’s competitive edge in the only Sunflower State district represented by a Democrat. 

The Campaign Legal Center and the ACLU of Kansas filed a lawsuit against Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab (R) and Wyandotte County Election Commissioner Michael Abbott on Monday on behalf of 10 Kansas residents.

The plaintiffs are arguing that the state’s new redistricting map “cracks the most racially diverse county in Kansas in half in an attempt to dilute the voices of minority voters,” according to a statement from the Campaign Legal Center. They allege the map shows partisan and racial gerrymandering.

Democracy Docket, founded by prominent lawyer Marc Elias, has also filed a lawsuit against Schwab and Abbott on behalf of six Kansas voters. The lawsuit is arguing that the new redistricting map represents partisan gerrymandering in favor of Republicans.

It also contends the map “dilutes minority voting strength in violation of multiple provisions of the Kansas Constitution” by splitting two counties that are Democratic strongholds and “submerging” their populations into districts that are heavily populated by whites and Republicans.

“The resulting map allegedly contains non-compact districts that do not respect political boundaries or communities of interest,” Democracy Docket wrote in a statement.

Both lawsuits argue that the redistricting breaches the guarantee of voting rights afforded in the state Constitution, in addition to free speech and assembly.

Abbott told The Hill on Tuesday that he is aware of the two lawsuits but unfamiliar with the details. The Hill reached out to Schwab for comment.

The pair of lawsuits, both filed in Wyandotte County District Court, come after the state’s new redistricting law was enacted last week, according to The Associated Press. Gov. Laura Kelly (D) had vetoed the law, but the Republican-controlled legislature overrode her decision.

The map divides Wyandotte County, represented by Rep. Sharice Davids (D), moving a large part of the district into a neighboring territory represented by Rep. Jake LaTurner (R). Davids, the first openly LGBT Native American member of Congress, is the only Democrat representing Kansas in Washington.

Republicans have said they drew the state’s lines in such a way to bring Kansas’s four congressional districts as close as possible in population size, according to the AP.

The increased scrutiny of the congressional map comes as both parties are gearing up for November’s midterm elections, when the Democrats are looking to hold control of the House and Republicans are hoping to take control of the lower chamber.

Various states are in the midst of partisan legal fights as maps are being redrawn for the 2022 midterms, based on new population data from the 2020 U.S. census. 

The Supreme Court last week ruled Alabama’s controversial new congressional maps could stay in place while it reviews a legal challenge, overruling a lower court that had ordered the state to redraw its districts in order to give Black voters better representation.

Updated: 8:25 p.m.