[EL] VRA Query

[Hersh, Eitan]

Professor Lowenstein,

I posed this question to this list a couple of years ago when I was writing my book<https://www.amazon.com/Hacking-Electorate-Campaigns-Perceive-Voters/dp/1107501164>, a chapter of which deals with the race data in the South. The history of these data seems to be somewhat of a mystery. Some covered jurisdictions track race, others do not. Someone suggested the origin of the race data is in white primaries, but the places that had white primaries also do not overlap consistently with the places that collect race data.

One thing that became clear in researching this is that groups across the spectrum like having the data. Groups focused on African-American mobilization rely on the data. Dem and Rep campaigns also rely heavily on the race data. There does not seem to be much of a constituency opposed to the data collection, even though, as I discuss in the book, there are real reasons to be concerned about abusive uses of these race data.

Best,
Eitan
Eitan D. Hersh
Assistant Professor of Political Science
Yale University

Phone: 203.436.9061
Office: 77 Prospect Street, C120
Web: www.eitanhersh.com


From: law-election-bounces at department-lists.uci.edu [mailto:law-election-bounces at department-lists.uci.edu] On Behalf Of Richard Winger
Sent: Wednesday, August 17, 2016 9:30 AM
To: Lowenstein, Daniel; law-election at department-lists.uci.edu
Subject: Re: [EL] VRA Query

It would be surprising if the Voting Rights Act said anythng about that, given that North Carolina and Louisiana have been doing that continuously for over 50 years.  One would have thought if the VRA prohibited that, those states would have stopped doing that long ago.

Richard Winger 415-922-9779 PO Box 470296, San Francisco Ca 94147

________________________________
From: "Lowenstein, Daniel" <lowenstein at law.ucla.edu<mailto:lowenstein at law.ucla.edu>>
To: "law-election at department-lists.uci.edu<mailto:law-election at department-lists.uci.edu>" <law-election at department-lists.uci.edu<mailto:law-election at department-lists.uci.edu>>
Sent: Tuesday, August 16, 2016 9:43 PM
Subject: [EL] VRA Query

            A friend at UCLA has asked me to inquire whether the Voting Rights Act says anything, whether generally or for jurisdictions covered by Section 5, on the legality of a state’s noting the race or ethnicity of voters on the voter rolls.

            Responses can be on the listserv or to me personally.  Either way, I will pass them on.  Thanks.

                      Best,

                 Daniel Lowenstein
                 Director, UCLA Center for the Liberal Arts and Free Institutions (CLAFI)
                 Emeritus Professor, UCLA Law School
                 818-781-3022
                 lowenstein at law.ucla.edu<mailto:lowenstein at law.ucla.edu>


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