Gov. John Bel Edwards on Friday released the following statement as the Louisiana Legislature adjourned its Special Redistricting Session sine die.
Gov. Edwards said:
“As Americans, voting for the leaders who will represent us is one of our most cherished and important rights and responsibilities. As elected officials, regardless of our political party or affiliations, we all have the responsibility to ensure that the process of voting is fair for all and that the electoral maps do not result in diluting the voting strength of certain groups. As I’ve often said: the voters should be choosing their leaders; leaders should not be picking and choosing our voters.
“Throughout this Legislative Session, I have had discussions with a diverse group of legislators and leaders about different map proposals, and I will closely review the new district maps Louisiana’s Legislature has passed before making a decision on how to proceed. I remain adamant that the maps should reflect the growth of the African American population in our state over the last 10 years, allowing for minority groups to have an opportunity at electing candidates of their own choosing, and I do have concerns that several of the maps do not fulfill that moral and legal requirement.
“I thank the Legislature for the time and attention paid to these maps and for the sometimes emotional and difficult debate leading up to their passage. I pledge to the people of Louisiana to very carefully examine them in order to determine if I believe they are reasonable, fair, and in line with the Voting Rights Act.”
