The Justice Department on Wednesday announced it would be suing a city in the metro Detroit area over claims of voting rights violations.
The lawsuit is against the city of Eastpointe, Mich., as well as its city council, mayor and city manager over what it calls “polarized voting patterns.”
The city has a population of roughly 33,000 and borders the infamous 8 Mile Road on the northern edge of Detroit.
According to the DOJ, no black person has ever served on the Eastpointe City Council, despite the fact that the city’s electorate is more than one-third (39 percent) black. The reason why is because the city council elections are “at-large” rather than by district.
According to U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade, the at-large voting system violates the Voting Rights Act.
In addition to not voting by districts, the mayor serves as a fifth city council member.
“Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act prohibits practices such as Eastpointe’s at-large City Council system where they improperly dilute the ability of citizens to elect the candidates of their choice,” McQuade said in a statement. “We filed this lawsuit to ensure that all voters in Eastpointe have a fair opportunity to participate in their local government.”
The federal government is asking in its lawsuit that a new election process is formed before November in a way that includes voting for candidates by district.
