A majority-minority district is an

electoral district An electoral district, also known as an election district, legislative district, voting district, constituency, riding, ward, division, or (election) precinct is a subdivision of a larger state (a country, administrative region, or other polity ...

, such as a

United States congressional district Congressional districts in the United States are electoral divisions for the purpose of electing members of the United States House of Representatives. The number of voting seats in the House of Representatives is currently set at 435, with ...

, in which the majority of the constituents in the

district A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...

are racial or ethnic minorities (as opposed to

Non-Hispanic whites Non-Hispanic whites or Non-Latino whites are Americans who are classified as "white", and are not of Hispanic (also known as "Latino") heritage. The United States Census Bureau defines ''white'' to include European Americans, Middle Eastern Amer ...

in the U.S.). Race is collected through the decennial United States census. Majority-minority districts may be created to avoid or remedy violations of the

Voting Rights Act of 1965 The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is a landmark piece of federal legislation in the United States that prohibits racial discrimination in voting. It was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson during the height of the civil rights movement ...

's prohibitions on drawing redistricting plans that diminish the ability of a racial or language minority to elect its candidates of choice. In some instances, majority-minority districts may result from affirmative racial gerrymandering. The value of drawing district lines to create majority-minority districts is a matter of dispute both within and outside of minority communities. Some view majority-minority districts as a way to dilute the

voting Voting is a method by which a group, such as a meeting or an electorate, can engage for the purpose of making a collective decision or expressing an opinion usually following discussions, debates or election campaigns. Democracies elect holde ...

power Power most often refers to: * Power (physics), meaning "rate of doing work" ** Engine power, the power put out by an engine ** Electric power * Power (social and political), the ability to influence people or events ** Abusive power Power may a ...

of minorities and analogous to

racial segregation Racial segregation is the systematic separation of people into race (human classification), racial or other Ethnicity, ethnic groups in daily life. Racial segregation can amount to the international crime of apartheid and a crimes against hum ...

; others favor majority-minority districts as ways to effectively ensure the

election An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has opera ...

of minorities to legislative bodies, including the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

. Majority-minority districts have been the subject of

legal case A legal case is in a general sense a dispute between opposing parties which may be resolved by a court, or by some equivalent legal process. A legal case is typically based on either civil or criminal law. In most legal cases there are one or mor ...

s examining the

constitutionality Constitutionality is said to be the condition of acting in accordance with an applicable constitution; "Webster On Line" the status of a law, a procedure, or an act's accordance with the laws or set forth in the applicable constitution. When l ...

of such districts, including ''

Shaw v. Reno ''Shaw v. Reno'', 509 U.S. 630 (1993), was a landmark United States Supreme Court case in the area of redistricting and racial gerrymandering. After the 1990 census, North Carolina qualified to have a 12th district and drew it in a distinct snak ...

'' (1993), '' Miller v. Johnson'' (1995), and ''

Bush v. Vera ''Bush v. Vera'', 517 U.S. 952 (1996), is a Supreme Court of the United States, United States Supreme Court case concerning racial gerrymandering, where Majority-minority district, racial minority majority-electoral districts were created during T ...

'' (1996).

Districts with an African-American majority

Population data are from 2019 Census American Community Survey One-Year Estimates. Districts in the table below reflect the 117th Congress. Currently, there are 22 congressional districts where African Americans make up a majority of constituents. Every district is represented by Democrats. There are two African American majority congressional districts that are represented by someone who is not African American:

Steve Cohen Steve, Steven or Stephen Cohen may refer to: Sportspeople * Stephan Cohen (born 1971), French pocket billiards player * Steve Cohen (gymnast) (born 1946), American Olympic gymnast *Steve Cohen (judoka) (born 1955), American judoka and Olympian *Ste ...

from Tennessee's 9th and

Rashida Tlaib Rashida Harbi Tlaib (, ; born July 24, 1976) is an American politician and lawyer serving as the U.S. representative for since 2019. The district includes the western half of Detroit, along with several of its western suburbs and much of the D ...

from Michigan's 13th.

Districts with an Asian-American majority or plurality

Currently, Asian-Americans make up the majority of constituents in two districts. California's 17th represented by

Indian-American Indian Americans or Indo-Americans are citizens of the United States with ancestry from India. The United States Census Bureau uses the term Asian Indian to avoid confusion with Native Americans, who have also historically been referred to ...

Ro Khanna Rohit Khanna (; born September 13, 1976) is an American politician, lawyer, and academic serving as the U.S. representative from California's 17th congressional district since 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he defeated eight-term incu ...

and Hawaii's 1st represented by non-Asian

Ed Case Edward Espenett Case (born September 27, 1952) is an American lawyer and Democratic politician serving as the U.S. representative for Hawaii's 1st congressional district, which covers the urban core of Honolulu. He represented the 2nd distr ...

. Both are Democrats.

Districts with a Hispanic/Latino majority

Districts with an African-American plurality

Florida's 5th congressional district Florida's 5th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Florida. It extends along Florida's northern boundary from Jacksonville to Tallahassee. The district includes all of Baker, Gadsden, Hamilton and Madison ...

Illinois's 7th congressional district The 7th congressional district of Illinois covers parts of Cook County, as of the 2011 redistricting that followed the 2010 census. All or parts of Bellwood, Chicago, Forest Park, Oak Park, Maywood, and Westchester are included. Democrat Da ...

Missouri's 1st congressional district Missouri's 1st congressional district is in the eastern portion of the state. It includes all of St. Louis, St. Louis City and much of northern St Louis County, Missouri, St. Louis County, including the cities of Maryland Heights, Missouri, Mar ...

New York's 5th congressional district The 5th congressional district of New York is a congressional district for the United States House of Representatives, represented by Democrat Gregory Meeks. The district is located in Queens. A plurality of the district's population is Africa ...

North Carolina's 1st congressional district North Carolina's 1st congressional district is located in the northeastern part of the state. It consists of many Black Belt in the American South, Black Belt counties that border Virginia and it extends southward into several counties of the I ...

Virginia's 3rd congressional district Virginia's third congressional district is a United States congressional district in the Commonwealth of Virginia, serving the independent cities of Norfolk, Newport News, Hampton, Portsmouth, and part of the independent city of Chesapeake. ...

* Texas's 30th congressional district

Districts with a Hispanic/Latino plurality

* California's 9th congressional district *

California's 16th congressional district California's 16th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of California, which as of the most recent general election was located in the central San Joaquin Valley. The district is currently represented by . On 20 ...

California's 18th congressional district California's 18th congressional district is a congressional district located in the U.S. state of California. The district is currently represented by . It includes portions of Santa Clara, San Mateo, and Santa Cruz counties, extending from ...

California's 19th congressional district California's 19th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of California, currently represented by . The district covers much of Santa Clara County, including most of the city of San Jose. Following redistricting i ...

California's 22nd congressional district California's 22nd congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of California. It is represented by Connie Conway, who replaced former Representative Devin Nunes, who resigned on January 1, 2022, to become chief executive ...

California's 36th congressional district California's 36th congressional district is a U.S. congressional district in California. Based in the eastern part of Riverside County, it covers most of the desert communities of Palm Springs, Palm Desert, Indio, Coachella, Rancho Mirage, D ...

* California's 37th congressional district * California's 39th congressional district *

California's 43rd congressional district California's 43rd congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of California that is currently represented by . The district is centered in the southern part of Los Angeles County, and includes portions of the cities o ...

California's 47th congressional district California's 47th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of California. The district is centered in Long Beach, extends into the western Orange County cities of Garden Grove, Westminster, Stanton, Buena Park, ...

Illinois's 3rd congressional district Illinois's 3rd congressional district includes part of Cook County, and has been represented by Democrat Marie Newman since January 3, 2021. The district was previously represented by Dan Lipinski from 2005 to 2021, and by Lipinski's father Bi ...

Nevada's 1st congressional district Nevada's 1st congressional district occupies most of Nevada's largest city, Las Vegas, as well as parts of North Las Vegas and parts of unincorporated Clark County. Before the 1980 census, Nevada was represented by a single at-large congres ...

New Mexico's 1st congressional district New Mexico's 1st congressional district of the United States House of Representatives serves the central area of New Mexico, including most of Bernalillo County, all of Torrance County, and parts of Sandoval, Santa Fe and Valencia counties. I ...

New Mexico's 3rd congressional district New Mexico's 3rd congressional district serves the northern half of New Mexico, including the state's Capital, Santa Fe. The district has a significant Native American presence, encompassing most of the New Mexico portion of the Navajo Nation, ...

New York's 7th congressional district New York's 7th congressional district is a congressional district for the United States House of Representatives in New York City. It includes parts of Brooklyn, Queens, and Manhattan. Democrat Nydia Velázquez represents the district in Congr ...

New York's 13th congressional district New York's 13th congressional district is a congressional district for the United States House of Representatives in New York City, represented by Adriano Espaillat. The district is the smallest congressional district by area in the U.S. The ...

New York's 14th congressional district New York's 14th congressional district is a congressional district for the United States House of Representatives located in New York City, represented by Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. The district includes the eastern part of The Bronx ...

Texas's 9th congressional district Texas's 9th congressional district of the United States House of Representatives includes the southwestern portion of the Greater Houston area in Texas. The current Representative for the district, since 2005, is Democrat Al Green. From 1967 to ...

Texas's 18th congressional district Texas's 18th congressional district of the United States House of Representatives includes much of inner city Houston and the surrounding area. It has been the Downtown Houston district since 1972. The current Representative from the 18th dis ...

Districts with a white plurality (majority-minority)

Arizona's 1st congressional district Arizona's 1st congressional district is a congressional district located in the U.S. state of Arizona, covering northeastern Maricopa County. Before 2023, geographically, it was the eleventh-largest congressional district in the country and incl ...

California's 3rd congressional district California's 3rd congressional district is a U.S. congressional district in California. John Garamendi, a Democrat, has represented the district since January 2013. Effective January 2023, California's 3rd congressional district will include ...

California's 6th congressional district California's 6th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of California. Doris Matsui, a Democrat, has represented the district since January 2013. Currently, the 6th district is entirely in Sacramento County an ...

* California's 8th congressional district * California's 10th congressional district * California's 11th congressional district *

California's 12th congressional district California's 12th congressional district is a congressional district in northern California. Speaker of the United States House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat, has represented the district since January 2013. She has represented var ...

California's 13th congressional district California's 13th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of California. Barbara Lee, a Democrat, has represented this district since January 2013. The 13th district no longer consists of the northwestern portio ...

California's 14th congressional district California's 14th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of California. Eric Swalwell, a Democrat, has represented the district since January 2023. Currently, the 14th district is in Alameda County and includes th ...

* California's 15th congressional district *

California's 23rd congressional district California's 23rd congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of California. The district is represented in the 118th United States Congress by Jay Obernolte The current district includes parts of the southern San Joaq ...

California's 25th congressional district California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the mo ...

California's 26th congressional district California 26th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of California currently represented by . The district is located on the South Coast, comprising most of Ventura County as well as a small portion of Los Ange ...

California's 42nd congressional district California's 42nd congressional district is a U.S. congressional district in California. The district is currently represented by . The 42nd district is located entirely within Los Angeles County, and is centered around Long Beach and its sur ...

Florida's 9th congressional district Florida's 9th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Florida. It stretches from eastern Orlando south-southeast to Yeehaw Junction. It also includes the cities of Kissimmee and St. Cloud. From 2003 to 2012, ...

Florida's 10th congressional district Florida's 10th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Florida. It was reassigned in 2012, effective January 3, 2013, from the Gulf Coast to inland Central Florida. Before 2017, the district included parts of wes ...

Florida's 14th congressional district Florida's 14th congressional district is an electoral district for the U.S. Congress and was reassigned in 2012, effective January 2013, to western Hillsborough County, Florida and Manatee County. After the district boundaries were changed in ...

Florida's 23rd congressional district Florida's 23rd congressional district is an electoral district for the U.S. Congress, located in the Greater Miami area and covering parts of southern Broward County and northern Miami-Dade County. The district includes cities such as Westo ...

Georgia's 7th congressional district Georgia's 7th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Georgia. It is currently represented by Democrat Carolyn Bourdeaux. The district's boundaries have been redrawn following the 2010 census, which granted an a ...

Hawaii's 2nd congressional district Hawaii's 2nd congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Hawaii. It is currently represented by Kai Kahele, who succeeded Tulsi Gabbard following the 2020 election. The district encompasses all rural and most suburba ...

* Maryland’s 5th congressional district *

Massachusetts's 7th congressional district Massachusetts's 7th congressional district is a congressional district located in eastern Massachusetts, including roughly three-fourths of the city of Boston and a few of its northern and southern suburbs. The seat is currently held by Democrat ...

Nevada's 4th congressional district Nevada's 4th congressional district is a congressional district that was created as a result of the 2010 United States Census. Located in the central portion of the state, it includes most of northern Clark County, southern Lyon County and all ...

New Jersey's 6th congressional district New Jersey's 6th congressional district is represented by Democrat Frank Pallone, who has served the district in Congress since 1993. The district includes the northern and eastern portions of Middlesex County and the coastal areas of Monmou ...

New Jersey's 9th congressional district New Jersey's 9th congressional district is represented in Congress by Democrat Bill Pascrell, who resides in Paterson. Congressman Pascrell was first elected in 1996 from the old 8th district (prior to the 2010 census), defeating incumbent Wi ...

New Jersey's 12th congressional district New Jersey's 12th congressional district is represented by Democrat Bonnie Watson Coleman, who has served in Congress since 2015. The district is known for its research centers and educational institutions such as Princeton University, Rider Un ...

New York's 16th congressional district New York's 16th congressional district is a congressional district for the United States House of Representatives represented by Jamaal Bowman. The 16th district includes the northern Bronx and the southern half of Westchester County, includin ...

North Carolina's 12th congressional district North Carolina's 12th congressional district is a congressional district located in the city of Charlotte and surrounding areas in Mecklenburg County represented by Democrat Alma Adams. Prior to the 2016 elections, it was a gerrymandered distr ...

Pennsylvania's 2nd congressional district Pennsylvania's second congressional district includes all of Northeast Philadelphia and parts of North Philadelphia east of Broad Street, as well as portions of Philadelphia's River Wards. It has been represented by Democrat Brendan Boyle since 2 ...

Texas's 2nd congressional district Texas's 2nd congressional district of the United States House of Representatives is in the southeastern portion of the state of Texas. It encompasses parts of northern and western Harris County and southern Montgomery County, Texas. From 2002 ...

Texas's 5th congressional district Texas's 5th congressional district of the United States House of Representatives is in an area that includes a northeast portion of the City of Dallas, Dallas County including Mesquite plus a number of smaller suburban, exurban and rural counti ...

* Texas's 7th congressional district *

Texas's 22nd congressional district Texas's 22nd congressional district of the United States House of Representatives covers a largely suburban south-central portion of the metropolitan area. The district includes the majority of Fort Bend County, including most of the cities of ...

Texas's 32nd congressional district Texas's 32nd congressional district of the United States House of Representatives serves a suburban area of northeastern Dallas County and a sliver of Collin and Denton counties. The district was created after the 2000 United States census, whe ...

Virginia's 11th congressional district Virginia's 11th congressional district is a U.S. congressional district in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The district stretches from Herndon to Quantico, comprising most of Fairfax County, all of the City of Fairfax, as well as part of ea ...

Washington's 9th congressional district Washington's 9th congressional district encompasses a long, somewhat narrow area in Western Washington, through the densely populated central Puget Sound region, from Tacoma in the south to Bellevue in the north. Since 1997, the 9th district h ...

Wisconsin's 4th congressional district Wisconsin's 4th congressional district is a congressional district of the United States House of Representatives in Wisconsin, encompassing a part of Milwaukee County and including almost all of the city of Milwaukee (except the slivers of the c ...

References

External links

Use of Racial Data in Redistricting
- Background Paper Prepared for the

Minnesota Legislature The Minnesota Legislature is the bicameral legislature of the U.S. state of Minnesota consisting of two houses: the Senate and the House of Representatives. Senators are elected from 67 single-member districts. In order to account for decennia ...

Subcommittee on Geographic Information Systems
Majority-Minority Voting Districts and Their Role in Politics: Their Advantages, Their Drawbacks, and the Current LawVoting wrongs - racial reapportionmentThe Electoral Competitiveness of Majority-Minority DistrictsRedrawing Lines of Power: Redistricting 2011
Making Contact, produced by the National Radio Project, April 12, 2011 {{African-American politics United States congressional districts