Justice Department Files Voting Rights Suit Against Fayette County, Tennessee

The Justice Department filed a lawsuit against Fayette County, Tennessee, alleging that the Board of County Commissioners violated Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act when it adopted a redistricting plan that denies the city's Black voters an equal opportunity to elect candidates of their choice.

The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee, alleges that during the 2021 redistricting cycle, the County Commission deliberately rejected multiple districting plans that would have combined Black communities in districts that would allow Black voters to elect representatives of their choice. In doing so, the Commission disregarded the guidelines and recommendations of its own redistricting committee and the advice of the attorney it hired specifically to guide it through the redistricting process.

"The right to vote is sacred and is the foundation for our ability to exercise all other civil rights," said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division. "Black voters should have the equal opportunity to elect their candidates of choice, but the redistricting map adopted by Fayette County did not provide that opportunity. The Justice Department is committed to enforcement of the Voting Rights Act and ensuring all eligible citizens have an equal opportunity to choose their elected officials. Our democracy works best when all communities have a fair and equal opportunity to elect candidates of their choice."

"The right to vote is the cornerstone of our democracy, and Black voters in Fayette County deserve the same opportunity as anyone else to elect leaders who represent their voices," said Acting U.S. Attorney Reagan Fondren for the Western District of Tennessee. "Our office is committed to ensuring fairness and equality in the electoral process."

The Civil Rights Division's Voting Section, working with U.S. Attorneys' Offices, enforces the civil provisions of federal statutes that protect the right to vote, including the Voting Rights Act, National Voter Registration Act, Help America Vote Act, Civil Rights Acts and the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act.

More information about voting and elections is available at www.justice.gov/voting. Learn more about the Voting Rights Act and other federal voting laws at www.justice.gov/crt/voting-section. Complaints about possible violations of federal voting rights laws can be submitted through the Civil Rights Division's website at civilrights.justice.gov or by telephone at 1-800-253-3931.