Louisiana Senate passes proposed congressional map, sends it to House

BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) — A proposed Louisiana congressional redistricting map was approved by the Louisiana Senate with a 27-11 passing vote. It now moves to the House.

The map proposed by State Rep. Glen Womack has a second majority-Black district, which could give another U.S. House seat to the Democratic Party. Womack said politics, rather than race, was the determining factor to allot the districts. The proposal could ensure the re-election of U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson and Majority Leader Steve Scalise.

A federal judge determined that the map Louisiana has currently violates the Voting Rights Act by diluting the power of Black voters. It has white majorities in five of six congressional districts, though Black people account for one-third of Louisiana’s population.

So far, the only majority Black-majority district contains most of New Orleans and extends to Baton Rouge. It is held by U.S. Rep. Troy Carter.

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