ACLU sues Ferguson-Florissant School District over election system

Claiming a violation of the federal Voting Rights Act, the American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit against the Ferguson-Florissant School District.

The U.S. District Court suit alleges the at-large election system used by the school board dilutes the African-American vote, according to the St. Louis Business Journal.

Described as systematically disenfranchised, the suit says the staggered three-year terms for the seven-member board places minority voters at a disadvantage by limiting the number of seats open in an election. The ACLU also alleges elections held in April, rather than November, "generally produces lower turnout in the African-American community," the business journal reports.

The suit points to only one black member on the board in an area with 47 percent African-American voters and a majority of black students. The ACLU recommends single-member districts “in which African-American voters would constitute a majority of both the total population and the voting-age population,” the business journal reports.

“This lawsuit is a positive step toward addressing racial inequities in our education system that will affect not only Ferguson, but all of Missouri,” said ACLU-Missouri Director Jeffrey Mittman in a statement.

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