\u201cThe Louisiana v. Callais decision \u2026 removes legal safeguards against racial gerrymandering in Louisiana,\u201d District 1 Supervisor Sylvia Arenas, who brought forth the proposal, said at a Monday news conference. \u201cThis threat to civil rights demands our immediate action and cannot afford further delay. It is critical that the board of supervisors and this county stand firm in supporting (the) Voting Rights Act.\u201d<\/p>\n
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The Board of Supervisors is working with Black community leaders to encourage residents to participate in local elections, after officials recently approved a plan to draft a resolution to protect voting rights. Photo by Joyce Chu.<\/p>\n
The idea to engage locals was spurred by Carmen Brammer, founder of civic engagement organization Global Majority Consulting. She said the dismantling of voting rights her ancestors fought for compelled her to act, and she met with Arenas and other county supervisors to urge them to protect residents.<\/p>\n
\u201cI felt so unsafe when that decision came, like I didn\u2019t matter anymore to this country,\u201d Brammer told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight. \u201cI said, \u2018You know what? I got to do something.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Brammer is partnering with the county to educate and encourage people to vote. Her organization works to help voters understand what is on the ballot by providing facts and using conversational language.<\/p>\n
\u201c(Voting is) the one free thing we have,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s free because other people died to get it first, but a lot of folks don\u2019t have that history.\u201d<\/p>\n
President Lyndon B. Johnson called on Congress to pass the 1965 Voting Rights Act after police beat civil rights activists during a peaceful march in Selma, Alabama led by the late Congressman John Lewis in what was known as Bloody Sunday.<\/p>\n
The Voting Rights Act revoked the Jim Crow laws that disenfranchised Black communities from voting, ending systematic discrimination at the ballot box.<\/p>\n
NAACP of San Jose\/Silicon Valley<\/a> President Sean Allen<\/a> said that in the 117 years of the national organization\u2019s existence, no fight has been greater than protecting voting rights.<\/p>\n \u201cOur members organized, marched and were buried for the Voting Rights Act of 1965,\u201d Allen said at the news conference. \u201cA nation willing to deny the ballot to us would deny it to anyone.\u201d<\/p>\n Allen said there are also concerns that the Supreme Court decision will make it harder to elect people of color locally. His group will be working to educate residents on the voting process and reaching out to communities that may not be politically engaged. For this upcoming election, NAACP will focus its efforts on cities with at-large voting that lack city council districts, such as Cupertino<\/a> and Mountain View<\/a>.<\/p>\n This method of voting favors whoever is most politically engaged, Allen said, since at-large voting allows residents to vote for candidates who don\u2019t live in their neighborhood. At-large voting has disenfranchised communities like Gilroy, where nearly 60% of the population is Latino but the current councilmembers are white, he added.<\/p>\n Gilroy\u2019s council elections have shifted from at-large to district<\/a> races this year, with eight candidates emerging for three seats up for grabs this November.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re hoping to see change with that, and we\u2019re hoping that community is better represented in this election cycle,\u201d Allen told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight.<\/p>\n![\"In-line](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/interactive-321838904008.png\")
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