By the Voting Rights Working Group
September 29, 2026
As a new Supreme Court term gets underway with voting rights cases on the docket, it’s a good time to reflect on how the popular conversation around voting rights could be strengthened by further centering everyday people over partisan fallout.
Today, civil rights protections ensuring that every citizen regardless of race, ethnicity, or language has a fair shot at participating in our democracy are often discussed primarily through a narrow, partisan lens. When voting rights are expanded or gutted, the conversation too often jumps immediately to who wins and who loses in the next election.
Take, for example, the Supreme Court’s 6-3 ruling in Louisiana v. Callais at the end of the last term. The court allowed states to draw district maps that dilute the votes of communities of color and lock them out of opportunities to elect candidates of choice. As a result, Black voters and other voters of color face theelimination of voting districts across the country that provided them the opportunity to elect representatives who were advocating for their interests.
When that news broke, the public conversation was heavily focused on the fallout for Democrats and Republicans. Phrases like “huge win for the GOP” and “a setback for Democrats” led the coverage. Headlines largely focused on the ramifications for the political parties without mentioning anything about the voters themselves.
There is no doubt that the political fallout of this ruling is part of the story. But when we view the Callais ruling primarily through the lens of party advantage, we inadvertently treat voters of color like pawns in a partisan game, rather than as equal citizens with inalienable rights.
What a better conversation looks like
The good news is that we have models for a better way forward. In that same coverage of Callais, others chose to center the human story, with headlines like “Supreme Court sides against Black voters in blow to landmark civil rights law” and“Supreme Court Curbs Protections for Minority Voters in Election Maps”
These headlines get it right by putting people and their fundamental right to representation first. They remind us that the ability to cast a vote and elect a representative isn’t first and foremost about which party you support, it’s about participating in a government of, by, and for the people.
A call to action for all of us
We all have a role to play in shifting this narrative. Whether you are a journalist, lawyer, elected official, or just someone who talks about these issues with friends and family, here is our call:
- Center the voters first. When we discuss voting rights, let’s start with the constitutional rights of the people, not the downstream partisan impacts.
- Separate rights from results. Don’t conflate a person’s right to participate in their democracy with the partisan horserace. Those are two very different concepts.
- Humanize the impact. Focus on what these rulings mean for everyday people, their communities, and their ability to have their voices heard in their own government.
As this new Supreme Court term begins, we recommit to centering the people and the principles of our democracy in the fight for voting rights, regardless of the political outcome. And we will be hard at work, fighting in courtrooms from state courts all the way up to the United States Supreme Court to protect the constitutional rights of every American.
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The Voting Rights Working Group (VRWG) brings together 11 of the nation’s leading legal advocacy organizations with decades of experience advancing voting rights for communities of color. The consortium supports nonpartisan efforts to defend voting rights, ensuring that communities of color have their voices heard regardless of their politics or party affiliation.
American Civil Liberties Union
Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund
Asian Americans Advancing Justice – AAJC
Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law
Dēmos
LatinoJustice PRLDEF
Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law
Legal Defense Fund
MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund)
Native American Rights Fund
Southern Coalition for Social Justice
