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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSingle Member DistrictsPage 8A Bryan-College Station Eagle Tuesday, September 24,1991 OPINIONS Single member districts give equality to every voter Twenty-six years ago, when the Voting Rights Act was passed, it was said that "discrimination in voting is a wrong which no American, in his heart, can jus- tify. The right to vote is one which no American, true to our principles, can deny." The Congress and the U.S. Supreme Court have determined that the dilution of the vote of an identifiable minority group is against the law whether based on the intent to discriminate or based on the effects of past discrimination. In 1986 the Supreme Court in Thornburg vs. Gi- ngles developed a three-part test that constitutes "the necessary precondition" for the establishment of a claim under the Voting Rights Act; ■The minority group must be able to demonstrate that it is sufficiently large and geographically compact to constitute a majority in a single member district. ■The minority group must be able to show that it is politically cohesive. ■The minority group must be able to demonstrate that the white majority votes sufficiently as a block to enable it - in the absence of special circumstances, such as a minority candidate running unopposed - usually to defeat the min- ority's preferred candidate. On the basis of the historical and pre- sent neighborhood concentration of our population and voting patterns, there is little doubt that Bryan meets the test or is at the 11th hour of meeting the standard set by the court. My sincere hope is that our elected representatives will view the change to single member district voting as a window of opportunity for communi- ty-wide burden-sharing in the gover- nance of our city and not as a legal hurdle they will attempt to violate or circumvent through costly and divisive litigation. Fortunately, the city of Bryan and the school district have received prudent counsel. For example, an attorney told the school district that if the test set by the court is met, the district would be wise to voluntarily implement the single member district plan. Similarly, in a se- parate meeting before Bryan Forward, the department head in political science at Texas A&M University counseled that the SMD process is inevitable and should be implemented voluntarily rather than let a court force a plan on the city. I spoke with various residents and elected officials regarding the subject of the SMD voting process in Bryan, and to my dismay I discovered unfounded fear and ignorance among some otherwise sophisticated and well-intentioned peo- ple. Fears are without merit There were a few people who accept SMD voting as a means to improving the city, and that gives me hope. However, there is a belief among some folks that SMD voting will turn our community into a ghetto and that incompetent rep- resentatives will be elected. The statement is without merit. For ex- ample, my immediate family, a product of the affected neighborhoods referred to by the speaker, has produced seven A&M graduates, and the neighborhood con- tinues to produce college graduates and business, church and community leaders. Others indicate that our middle- and upper-middle-income residents will move (white flight) to College Station, fearing the worst in Bryan. Families already have been leaving Bryan and will continue to leave as long as there is a perception that College Station offers an enhanced quali- ty of life. Further, others say that SMD voting will cause division among our rep- resentatives and no progress will be achieved. The truth of the matter is that differences of opinion are a fact of politi- cal life in all communities. I do not believe the recent Red River Street issue, as well as zoning, taxes, downtown development, etc., have been matters of great harmony. A few of the people I spoke to believe that SMD voting is a "handout" because people will be receiving something for nothing. This comment is unbelievable in light of the Supreme Court's ruling that this voting procedure meets the Consti• tution's intent. One person even suggested that SMC voting caters to the ethnic minoritie& therefore, we should also provide slots foi women, since they comprise more thar 50 percent of our population. This is ar interesting statement, since there is nc neighborhood comprised solely of womer as a result of discrimination and com- munity standards of the past. To my amazement, another well. intentioned individual indicated that since blacks and Hispanics do not agree with one another on who their rep• resentative should be, SMD voting wil not be beneficial to them. I reminded hin that when minorities have been candi• dates they received the majority of th( minority vote. In addition, the fact that there are several leaders refutes the con tention that there is no leadership in th( minority community. Finally, one individual indicated that change to SMD voting will be detrimenta to our school district and community This same representative was a leader it the effort to change the schools to neighborhood concept and argued tha neighborhood schools would provide ou: citizens a sense of pride and an increase( role in the schools. In reality, neighbor hood schools are similar in principle an( effect to that of an SMD. Never visited neighborhoods It is important to note that all of thes( well-intentioned folks had never visite( some of the major streets, schools churches or businesses in the northerr part of our city, which represents th( neighborhoods of more than 40 percen of our population. One person did admi to having toured the area and found i educational. When I posed the question regarding their familiarity with th( neighborhoods and the residents, it wa; generally dismissed as unimportant t( making decisions in the best interest o the entire community. The issue of voting rights is a legal mat ter; however, we must not forget that the real message is that the dignity and worth of each individual must be respect- ed and protected. Unfortunately, illegal discrimination is alive and well, and I am grateful that the laws of this nation are in place to protect my family and children against being violated as a result of their economic status or their God-given color. It is only after a parent has experienced the anger, sadness and hurt feelings that come from seeing their most precious possession, their children, treated in a derogatory or discriminatory manner that one understands my sentiment. The present cause of the dilution of a person's vote may be as a result of inten- tional or unintentional discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity or economics. Nevertheless, the dilution issue goes beyond a vote that is not counted to its full measure. The issue deals with the fact that the souls and minds of people are discounted and diluted without re- gard to their worth. Challenged by Bryan history Our community's history continues to challenge our city, and we must view the consequences of our past decisions not as a burden but as an opportunity to de- velop all our citizens as contributors to our future. No one is seeking a "hand- out." The change from a discriminatory procedure to fairness and equity is not a "handout." It is justice! The plea for SMD voting is a request for full participation in the governance of our city, based on hard work and with the resulting burdens and benefits that come with being involved. To those individuals who continue to be disturbed by the constitutionally sanc- tioned SMD voting and its impact on our community, I would like to remind them of the following: ■We are a democracy that is founded on the principle of one person, one vote. ■We are a nation of laws. The Consti- tution and laws of our nation determine our rights, and we are not dependent upon the arbitrary and capricious whims of people in power. ■We live in a community that adheres to the "law and order" principle. ■Racism, bigotryand elitism do not control the minds and souls of our citi- zens. ■In order for there to be peace among people, there must be justice. Justice is not divisible because injustice anywhere threatens justice everywhere. ■The ethnic minority and economical- ly disadvantaged populations are becom- ing the majority in our schools and gen- eral population. They must be allowed to contribute and carry their weight as full partners. ■AII citizens, regardless of color, race and economic status, must be burdened and benefitted by the political and edu- cational process. ■Our community's energy and focus should be directed at developing and en- hancing all quarters of the community rather than emphasizing perceived defi- cits. We are a communtty blessed with diversity, a rich history and a potentially great future. Full participation from all sections of our community has not been achieved; however, the inclusive effects of SMD voting as well as the good faith efforts of all concerned will help us in our effort to reach the goal. I recognize that SMD voting is not a panacea to all our community's prob- lems; nevertheless, the process is a viable tool to be utilized toward recognizing the vision and talents of all our citizens, re- gardless of where they live. One person, one vote is the law, and as law abiding citizens we must adhere to its spirit and intent. We must allow every-; body's vote to count and provide every- body the opportunity to vote for a neigh- bor who will be able to articulate the con- tributions and assets available toward making our community a great city. Daniel Hernandez is a local attorney 4