The Supreme Court's recent dismantling of the Voting Rights Act disregards some obvious math. In Louisiana, which is 30 percent Black, two out of six voting districts are majority-Black, reflecting approximately 33 percent of the state’s population. Post-Court ruling, this will likely be reduced to just one district, meaning only 17 percent of voters will have their voices heard.

Theoretically, voting is more nuanced than race, with various factors on each ballot and diverse communities within minority groups. However, given that around 83 percent of Black American voters identify as Democrats in Southern states like Louisiana, the impact is stark: a shift from 33 percent to 17 percent representation.

The Voting Rights Act’s provisions addressing racial discrimination were not created in a colourblind vacuum. The history of the US, including the Civil War and the Civil Rights Movement, has been a long struggle for equality and justice. 33 percent is closer than 17 percent to true parity, yet that remains an unfulfilled goal.

Modern-day disparities—generational wealth, educational outcomes, income, life expectancy, infant mortality—are exacerbated by unequal representation in government. The conservative backlash against civil rights has entrenched the status quo through race-based arguments and obfuscation of numbers, making it increasingly difficult to achieve true equality.