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College Democrats Uncover Gerrymandering of Student Vote

The Florida College Democrats today challenged Republicans in the Florida Senate to justify lines proposed on Monday that split multiple campus communities throughout the state across district lines, diminishing the voices of college students in the electoral process.

Students negatively affected by these harmful proposals include those who attend USF, UCF, FIU and FAU, among other institutions. District lines proposed for these campuses on Monday are drawn to split college campus communities between two, three, or even four districts, a common method of gerrymandering intended to disenfranchise targeted populations. The proposal put forward on Monday by the State Senate often places students living in dormitories on campus in a separate district from students living in apartments just across the street from school.

A PDF Displaying Evidence of Campus Gerrymandering Is Attached To This Press Release

Florida College Democrats President Dominique Gelin released a statement responding to the proposals:

"Between these maps and the RPOF's Voter Suppression Bill this year, it is clear that the Republican leadership is serving the interests of their Party, and not of the 63% of voters who overwhelmingly supported our state's Fair Districts amendments last November. These maps marginalize student voters, among many others, and we are calling on state legislators to do their jobs properly and serve the people of this state."

Students are not protected under the Voting Rights Act or Amendments 5 and 6, passed overwhelmingly by Florida voters last year. This makes campus communities an easy target for politicians seeking to protect their seats from influence by large colleges and universities within their districts

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