FEDERALSBURG, Md. - The Caroline County Branch of the NAACP, the Caucus of African American Leaders, and black voters have launched a federal lawsuit against the Town of Federalsburg with the ACLU of Maryland representing them.The plaintiffs allege voting discrimination and violations of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
According to a statement released by the ACLU, Federalsburg’s election practices and staggered voting system unlawfully follow patterns of racial polarization in favor of the Town’s white majority. These practices, they continue, also “dilute the influence of Black voters, suppress Black, candidacies, and prevent Black residents from electing their chosen representatives.”
“Now is the time for our elected officials in the Town of Federalsburg to do what’s right, by dismantling the at-large, staggered voting system and implementing voting districts, thereby creating an equitable voting system for ALL the citizens of Federalsburg,” said Sherone Lewis, a Black voter and resident of Federalsburg.
The ACLU’s statement cites that while Federalsburg’s Black population has grown to roughly 47% of the total population, never in the Town’s history has a Black person been elected to any Federalsburg municipal office.
The lawsuit filed today asks the court to:
-Declare that Federalsburg’s at-large, staggered-term election system discriminates against Black voters in violation of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965
-Issue an injunction prohibiting the Town from holding elections under this unlawful system; and
-Enter an order mandating that the scheduled 2023 Federalsburg Town election, and all future elections, be conducted under a racially fair election plan, in compliance with the Voting Rights Act and all other relevant constitutional and statutory requirements.
The plaintiffs are represented by attorneys Daniel W. Wolff, Katie Aber and Cori Schreider of Crowell & Moring LLP, and Deborah A. Jeon and Nicholas Taichi Steiner of the ACLU of Maryland.