Florida's legislature meets in a special session to adopt new congressional maps

Florida's legislature meets in a special session to adopt new congressional maps

Transcript¹

Republican leaders say they'll approve maps drawn² by the governor that eliminate two Black voting districts. Gov. Ron DeSantis insisted on district maps that give an extra advantage to Republicans.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Florida lawmakers are giving in to Governor Ron DeSantis on new congressional maps. Redistricting is usually conducted by the lawmakers. But the governor stepped in earlier this year. And in a special session beginning today, the Republican-dominated legislature is expected to vote on a map submitted by the governor. It eliminates two congressional districts that had significant Black populations. And it gives Republicans a good chance to pick up four more seats in Congress. NPR's Greg Allen is covering this story from Miami. Hey there, Greg.

GREG ALLEN, BYLINE³: Hi, Steve.

INSKEEP: Is it unusual that lawmakers are yielding to the governor in this way?

ALLEN: Well, it certainly is. It's never happened here in Florida. You know, Republican leaders in Florida's House and Senate did draw their own maps. But because Florida's population has risen quite a bit, the state is gaining a seat in Congress. Leaders in the House and Senate wanted to avoid potential lawsuits⁴ that they saw a decade ago by drawing maps that mostly complied with federal and state law and also passed court decisions. The maps they came up with, Governor DeSantis didn't like them, especially two districts drawn to protect the voting power of African Americans. He says court decisions over the last decade have weakened the Federal Voting Rights Act. And discrimination against Black voters at the polls, he says, is no longer a problem that requires protected districts.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

RON DESANTIS: You would have parts of the country where the African American turnout was, like, 8%. I mean, obviously, they were not being allowed to vote. Now you have turnout rates that are much higher across the board. So I think it'd be very, very difficult to show that.

ALLEN: You know, using that reasoning, DeSantis vetoed the legislature's maps, saying he believes they violate the equal protection clause of the U.S. Constitution in the special session. Then he brought forward his own maps that they'll then take up and vote on at some point.

INSKEEP: Oh, he is saying that it violates the equal protection clause of the Constitution, essentially⁵ turning that clause back around to the other race. So what does DeSantis' map look like?

ALLEN: Well, Florida has picked up a seat, so it has 28 congressional seats now. His map redraws districts in a way that likely gives Republicans 20 of those seats, leaving Democrats⁶ with just eight. You have to remember that Florida is a state almost evenly divided between Republicans and Democrats. So that's an increase of four seats for Republicans, which has led voting rights advocates to call it a blatant⁷ partisan⁸ gerrymandering. If DeSantis' map is approved by the legislature, it will certainly be challenged in court. Florida's constitution expressly prohibits districts from being drawn in a way that benefits an incumbent⁹ or a political party. It stops this kind of political gerrymandering. DeSantis will have to show to a court that politics didn't play a role in the map that gives Republicans a 12-seat edge over Democrats in Congress.

INSKEEP: Florida is one of the many states where Democrats have done terribly in state and local elections. Do they have any power to stop the governor?

ALLEN: No. Either - in part because of past gerrymandering, Democrats are in a minority in the House and Senate. One Democratic senator says she may even boycott¹⁰ the session beginning today rather than be a party to what she calls a takeover of the process by the governor. But there's mounting outrage¹¹ about the governor's maps, especially in the Black community. Here's state Senator Shevrin Jones.

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SHEVRIN JONES: In the state of Florida, the Black community will not allow the governor to hijack¹² this process or our back.

ALLEN: You know, Jones spoke¹³ yesterday at a news conference in Miami with more than a dozen Black elected officials and activists¹⁵. The governor's map eliminates two of Florida's current four protected Black voting districts, redrawing them in a way that they'll be more likely now to elect Republicans. Voting rights groups and Democrats say that will violate federal law and Florida's constitution, which prohibits drawing district lines in a way that diminishes the voting power of minorities. DeSantis says he's expecting a court battle. He says he wants the courts to overturn that provision in the state constitution. Dwight Bullard, a voting rights activist¹⁴ with Florida Rising, said he believes all this has to do with DeSantis' possible 2024 presidential bid.

DWIGHT BULLARD: I understand that the governor wants to put himself in the history books next to names like Bush or Reagan. But unfortunately, he finds himself in the history books next to names like Barnett, Faubus and George Wallace.

ALLEN: That's Mississippi Governor Ross Barnett, Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus and Alabama Governor George Wallace, names I know you remember, Steve. These were all former segregationist¹⁶ Southern governors, part of U.S. history. DeSantis' opponents say they'll fight him in the courts and at the ballot¹⁷ box. And, of course, he's up for reelection in November.

INSKEEP: NPR's Greg Allen is in Miami. Greg, thanks so much.

ALLEN: You're welcome.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

3 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

4 lawsuits   

n.诉讼( lawsuit的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Lawsuits involving property rights and farming and grazing rights increased markedly. 涉及财产权，耕作与放牧权的诉讼案件显著地增加。 来自辞典例句
• I've lost and won more lawsuits than any man in England. 全英国的人算我官司打得最多，赢的也多，输的也多。 来自辞典例句

5 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

6 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 blatant   

adj.厚颜无耻的；显眼的；炫耀的

参考例句：

• I cannot believe that so blatant a comedy can hoodwink anybody.我无法相信这么显眼的一出喜剧能够欺骗谁。
• His treatment of his secretary was a blatant example of managerial arrogance.他管理的傲慢作风在他对待秘书的态度上表露无遗。

8 partisan   

adj.党派性的；游击队的；n.游击队员；党徒

参考例句：

• In their anger they forget all the partisan quarrels.愤怒之中，他们忘掉一切党派之争。
• The numerous newly created partisan detachments began working slowly towards that region.许多新建的游击队都开始慢慢地向那里移动。

9 incumbent   

adj.成为责任的，有义务的；现任的，在职的

参考例句：

• He defeated the incumbent governor by a large plurality.他以压倒多数票击败了现任州长。
• It is incumbent upon you to warn them.你有责任警告他们。

10 boycott   

n./v.(联合)抵制，拒绝参与

参考例句：

• We put the production under a boycott.我们联合抵制该商品。
• The boycott lasts a year until the Victoria board permitsreturn.这个抗争持续了一年直到维多利亚教育局妥协为止。

11 outrage   

n.暴行，侮辱，愤怒；vt.凌辱，激怒

参考例句：

• When he heard the news he reacted with a sense of outrage.他得悉此事时义愤填膺。
• We should never forget the outrage committed by the Japanese invaders.我们永远都不应该忘记日本侵略者犯下的暴行。

12 hijack   

v.劫持，劫机，拦路抢劫

参考例句：

• Most countries refuse to give sanctuary to people who hijack aeroplanes.大多数国家拒绝对劫机者提供庇护。
• The hijack take place just after the plane take off.劫持是飞机刚起飞后发生的。

13 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

14 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

15 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

16 segregationist   

隔离主义者

参考例句：

• Recent federal action undermined the segregationist position. 近期的联邦行动消弱了隔离主义者的地位。

17 ballot   

n.（不记名）投票，投票总数，投票权；vi.投票

参考例句：

• The members have demanded a ballot.会员们要求投票表决。
• The union said they will ballot members on whether to strike.工会称他们将要求会员投票表决是否罢工。