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Article: Voting rights districts: debunking the myths.
- Article from:
- Campaigns & Elections
- Article date:
- April 1, 1995
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1995 Campaigns & Elections, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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The number of African Americans elected to the U.S. House of Representatives increased by 13 in 1992, the largest absolute increase ever in a single year. This expansion (from 25 to 38) was the direct result of the new congressional districts created after the 1990 census. Redistricting produced 13 new majority-black districts (all but one in the South), and each of these districts elected an African American in both 1992 and 1994.
These new black districts are frequently referred to as "voting rights" districts because they were drawn to comply with provisions of the Voting Rights Act. That Act prohibits districting plans that systematically dilute minority voting ...