Statement: The Voter Participation Center Strongly Condemns the Supreme Court’s Decision to Gut Voting Rights in Louisiana v. Callais
“Justice Alito is wrong on the facts, and he is wrong on the law. The Supreme Court’s majority opinion is not supported by the evidence.”
-Tom Lopach, President and CEO of the Voter Participation Center
Representation is the foundation of democracy. The idea that every community has a voice and that no group of Americans can be shut out of political power because of the color of their skin is what the Voting Rights Act was written to protect. Today, the Supreme Court dealt that principle a serious blow.
The Voting Rights Act has long been hailed as the crown jewel of the Civil Rights Movement — foundational to the creation of a multiracial democracy. People fought, bled, and died for these protections. In a 6-3 decision in Louisiana v. Callais, the Court significantly weakened Section 2 of that Act, stripping away one of the primary legal tools used to ensure that Black voters and other communities of color have fair representation in Congress. Writing for the majority, Justice Alito declared that “the racial gap in voter registration and turnout has largely disappeared.”
That is not what our data shows. For 23 years, VPC has tracked exactly who votes and who doesn’t. The gap Justice Alito says has “largely disappeared” is alive, persistent, and large and its consequences fall directly on representation. In 2024 alone, there was a 17% turnout gap between those from underrepresented communities – people of color, young people, and unmarried women – and the rest of the voting-eligible population.
| Voter turnout gap — Underrepresented Communities vs. non-Underrepresented Communities | ||
| 2024 | 17-point gap | 59% UC vs. 76% non-UC |
| 2022 | 23-point gap | 43% UC vs. 66% non-UC |
| 2020 | 14-point gap | 61% UC vs 75% non-UC |
These numbers represent real people: eligible American citizens whose voices are systematically pushed out of our democratic processes. The racial gap in political participation has not disappeared. It is persistent, measurable, and consequential.
“Justice Alito is wrong on the facts, and he is wrong on the law. The Supreme Court’s majority opinion is not supported by the evidence,” said Tom Lopach, President and CEO of the Voter Participation Center, “The decision is a devastating blow to civil rights protections and permits states to use partisan gerrymandering to deny Black voters and voters of color a voice in their government. We will see fair districts across the nation vanish as legislatures move to gut representation for communities of color, now with far fewer legal checkpoints to stop them. Politicians should not choose their voters. Voters should choose their politicians.”
Moments like this are precisely why VPC exists. For more than 23 years, we have worked every day to register and turn out eligible Americans from underrepresented communities because we believe in a nation with liberty and justice for all. Today’s decision makes that work more urgent, not less.
When our communities show up and vote, they have the power to hold courts accountable, to elect representatives who will fight for stronger voting rights protections, and to shape the laws and policies that govern all of our lives. The Supreme Court cannot take that power away.
This is a bad decision and a sad day. But we will not be deterred. We will redouble our efforts to ensure every eligible American has a voice in our democracy because that is what we were built to do.
The Voter Participation Center is a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to increasing civic engagement and closing voter registration and turnout gaps. Since 2003, VPC has helped register millions of voters—particularly among historically underrepresented communities—and continues to run the nation’s largest mail-based and digital voter engagement programs.