Three African American pastors who support Donald Trump filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday over a requirement that GOP primary voters sign a statement affirming that they are Republicans — a plan the presidential front-runner has condemned.
The plaintiffs say the loyalty pledge will discourage minority voters and those who are poor from casting ballots in Virginia, where voters do not register by party. Signing the vow will create long lines at the polls, imposes “the burden of fear and backlash” and amounts to a literacy test, according to the lawsuit.
You can read the complaint here, which raises a Section 2 Voting Rights Act claim, an equal protection claim, a First Amendment claim, and state law claims. I can’t speak to the state law claims, but the federal claims seem exceptionally weak. The Section 2 standard in vote denial cases is quite high, and I find it hard to believe the evidence would show that having people sign this pledge will lead to long lines at the polls for a Republican primary which will lead to a situation where minority voters have less opportunity than other voters to participate in the political process and to elect representatives of their choice.