Ashley Cleaves, Legal Content Editor

Across the South, Republican legislators are racing to eliminate Black political power. Since the U.S. Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act (VRA), Black voters have been on the front lines at statehouses and in the streets because we understand more than anyone why it’s so crucial to have representation that’s responsive to our communities.

In other words: Voting rights isn’t just a democracy issue, it’s an affordability one.

Looking to address the rising cost of housing, healthcare, and utilities in Donald Trump’s America? There’s probably a map for that. That’s because if voters can elect the state and federal representatives of their choice, they’re much more likely to get their most important needs addressed.

The Deep South is the epicenter of the rural healthcare crisis in America. Hospital closures continue to stack up, further isolating rural communities from the care that they need. Millions of Southerners don’t have adequate health insurance, putting them one medical emergency away from being homeless or buried deep in medical debt.

Smart, engaged state policymaking could fix it. But without fair maps in states like Georgia, Alabama or Mississippi, there’s no way for most Black voters to elect candidates that are motivated to act.

Want an example of how this works? Alabamians pay some of the highest electric bills in the country. The body that could address that, the Alabama Public Service Commission (APSC), is made up of three Republican members — two of whom are elected statewide — who have done little to bring prices down. Because white voters are a majority in the state, and few will support candidates favored by Black voters, it’s all but impossible for Black Alabamians to elect a candidate who will prioritize the issue.

This year, Republican lawmakers introduced a bill that would eliminate elections for the APSC entirely. After voter pushback, the state enacted legislation that expanded the number of seats on the commission and moved to a system of electing one member from each of the state’s seven congressional districts — which at least would likely have allowed Black voters to elect two candidates of their choice.

But after Callais, legislators scrapped one of the two majority-Black congressional districts in the state. If their gerrymander is allowed to stay in place, it would reduce Black representation on the state’s only body dedicated to regulating utilities.

In recent decades, we’ve seen Black Americans move back to the South seeking job opportunities and affordable housing. To meet these needs, voters look to the local government to foster tangible policy solutions that lead to better jobs, lower rent or the ability to own a home.

Black residents in Baton Rouge, Louisiana — my hometown — make up almost half of the population, but the new metro council map packs most Black voters into three of the twelve council districts. Black voters argued that they need fair representation, in part, because of the city's lack of responsiveness to their community's needs. They highlighted 2021 data showing Black residents in Baton Rouge were twice as likely to be unemployed as white residents. That’s why having representation on the city council and county commission is so important. It’s why voters should be able to decide who represents them in the government that is closest to them.

No community can expect to have its most urgent needs addressed without responsive representation. That’s why the Voting Rights Act was enacted and enforced for decades.

In many cases, the candidates elected by Black and brown voters were more likely to advocate for policies that benefit all voters. So when we lose that opportunity, everyone who is buried under the cost of bad policies loses too.

Without it, Black and brown communities won’t just lack political representation. They’ll also have fewer solutions to ensure they can keep up with the rising cost of living and ensure a measure of stability for themselves and their families.

There’s a reason why the Supreme Court — hard to believe it, today — once said that voting is a fundamental right because it is preservative of all other rights. The affordability crisis Black and brown Americans are facing today is downstream of the continued assault on the right to vote and fair representation.

It’s why I’m proud to work at a news outlet that doesn’t shy away from telling readers the truth and emphasizing how court decisions like Callais can harm millions of Americans. By keeping readers like you informed, we are fighting back and helping to preserve our democracy — but we can’t do it without you. If you’re able, consider supporting our mission to deliver unapologetically pro-democracy news and stay ahead in this consequential election year.