Racial vote dilution claims tossed

OXFORD, Miss. — A federal court in Mississippi ruled that a chapter of the NAACP did not present evidence to “support a strong inference” that county officials illegally drew election maps in 2021 to intentionally dilute Black voting strength. The NAACP suit named three defendants: the county, the all-white five-member county board of supervisors and the all-white five-member county election commission charged with conducting elections. The court heard testimony from 36 witnesses over a 12-day trial. In the end, the litigants did not provide sufficient evidence that county voters “engage in racial bloc voting that cannot be explained by partisan affiliation.”