Rogers v. Lodge

458 U.S. 613 (1982)

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Nature of the Case

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Facts

The county at issue had a 54% black population, with whites constituting a slight majority of the voting age population and blacks constituting 38% of registered voters. Blacks have always made up a substantial majority of the county's population. A Board of Commissioners governs the county. It consists of five members elected at large to concurrent four-year terms by all qualified voters in the county. The county has never been divided into districts. In order to be nominated or elected, a candidate must receive a majority of the votes cast in the primary or general election, and a runoff must be held if no candidate receives a majority in the first primary or general election. Each candidate must run for a specific seat on the Board, and a voter may vote only once for any candidate. No Negro has ever been elected to the Board, although there had been black candidates. There was overwhelming evidence of bloc voting along racial lines. Past discrimination was found by the District Court to contribute to low black voter registration because prior to the Voting Rights Act of 1965 blacks had been denied access to the political process by means such as literacy tests, poll taxes, and white primaries. Past discrimination against blacks in education also had the same effect. Furthermore, past discrimination had prevented blacks from effectively participating in Democratic Party affairs and primary elections. Lodge (P) eight black citizens filed suit in the District Court on behalf of all black citizens in the county alleging that the at-large system violates their constitutional rights by diluting their voting power. The court issued an order stating that Ps were entitled to prevail and ordering that the county be divided into five districts for purposes of electing County Commissioners. The Court of Appeals affirmed. Rogers (D) appealed.