Without a doubt, it will be the most significant vote that the Shreveport City Council will make during the current four-year term. And it will impact the city for the next 10 years.
The Shreveport City Council must adopt a redistricting plan for the city for the 2022 council elections.
This means that the seven council district lines will be adjusted to reflect the city's population based on the 2020 census.
The underlying political question will be the majority composition of the seven districts.
Prior to the resignation of James Flurry, the council had four predominantly African-American districts and four African-American council representatives.
The appointment by Gov. John Bel Edwards of Alan Jackson Jr. to the council increased the African-American council members to five out of seven.
The 2020 census results show the following percentages of Shreveport residents: African-American, 57.09%; Caucasian, 38%; two or more races, 1.85%; Asian, 1.67%; other races, 0.93%; Native American, 0.40%; and Native Hawaiian, 0.06%.
Shreveport cartographer Dr. Gary Joiner advises that each new council district must have the same population, plus or minus 5%, and that the demographics cannot be all of one race.
There are several other factors that must be considered, including the federal Voting Rights Act.
Joiner has prepared maps and circulated them among council members for consideration. They have not yet been released to the public for consideration.
The elephant, as in giant elephant, in the room is, will the council adopt a 4-3 (black-white) council map or a 5-2 (black-white) council map? Put another way, if the city's population is 38% white, should there be three majority white districts in the city?
The back burner question is whether or not litigation can be filed to overturn a 5-2 council redistricting plan if adopted by the 5-2 city council? Presumably, at least one "no" vote must be cast by a council member to provide a basis for the litigation.
And if litigation is filed, what will be the impact on the upcoming council elections this year? Qualifying is July 20-22, so a new council redistricting plan must be adopted in the relatively near future.