Federal appeals court pauses change to Miami voting map
UPDATE: A federal appeals court has temporarily blocked a new voting map from being used in the city of Miami's elections in November.
The following is a snippet of the court's decision:
Pursuant to Rule 8 of the Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure, Defendant, City of Miami (the "City"), moves this Court for a stay of the trial court's Order [DE 94] rejecting the redistricting plan, City of Miami Resolution 23-271 (The "New Plan"), and imposing a court-ordered remedial plan, pursuant to the injunction set forth in the trial court's Order (the "Order")(DE 60) adopting the Report and Recommendation (the "R&R")[DE 52] granting Plaintiffs' Motion for Injunction.
Earlier story follows:
MIAMI - The City of Miami is facing a deadline of August 1st to comply with a new voting map, which the city claims is too soon for implementation. The new map will bring changes for some voters, for the upcoming November 2023 elections.
According to the Miami Herald, a federal judge has ruled that the city must adopt this new voting map. The map was drafted by attorneys affiliated with the ACLU and various advocacy groups from Miami. The main reason cited for this change was to ensure a more equitable representation of different racial groups in the city.
Notably, Districts 3 and 4 have experienced substantial modifications compared to the city's current map. The newly proposed map will also preserve the integrity of Coconut Grove and West Grove, which have historically formed a large black voting block, sparking considerable discussion.
Some commissioners believe that this new map will support more liberal voters. However, it's crucial to mention that both the commission and mayoral seats in Miami are non-partisan.
Under this new map, Commissioner Joe Carollo's residence falls outside of his district. He has not yet disclosed his plan for complying with the new district boundaries.