Under advisement from August 25, 2026 (Item No. 14): Adopt Resolution reaffirming the County’s unwavering commitment to supporting voting rights for all Santa Clara County community members, including the Black/African Ancestry community.

County of Santa Clara Office of the County Counsel 130279 DATE: September 15, 2026 TO: Board of Supervisors FROM: Tony LoPresti, County Counsel SUBJECT: Resolution Supporting Voting Rights for Santa Clara County Community RECOMMENDED ACTION Under advisement from August 25, 2026 (Item No. 14): Adopt Resolution reaffirming the County’s unwavering commitment to supporting voting rights for all Santa Clara County community members, including the Black/African Ancestry community. REASONS FOR RECOMMENDATION On April 29, 2026, the Supreme Court ruled in a 6-3 opinion authored by Justice Alito in Louisiana v. Callais that a minority-opportunity district in Louisiana was unconstitutional, enabling states to more easily eliminate minority representation in the House of Representatives and other state and local elected offices. The Supreme Court decision in Callais creates devastating rippling effects to the representation and voting power of the African/African ancestry community at the local level. On August 25, 2026, the Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a referral to County Counsel and Administration to report to the Board on September 15, 2026 with options for consideration...

RESOLUTION NO. RESOLUTION OF THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS OF THE COUNTY OF SANTA CLARA REAFFIRMING THE COUNTY?S UNWAVERING COMMITMENT TO SUPPORTING VOTING RIGHTS FOR ALL SANTA CLARA COUNTY COMMUNITY MEMBERS, INCLUDING THE BLACK/AFRICAN ANCESTRY COMMUNITY WHEREAS, following years of organizing by the Civil Rights Movement, Congress enacted the Voting Rights Act (VRA) in 1965 to enforce the Fifteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and eliminate systemic racial discrimination in voting; WHEREAS, Congress amended the VRA in 1970, 1975, 1982, 1992, and 2006, agreeing in each instance that federal action was necessary to protect voting rights for racial minorities; WHEREAS, the United States Supreme Court has issued several decisions substantially weakening the VRA; WHEREAS, in 2013 in Shelby County v. Holder, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the portion of the VRA requiring jurisdictions with a history of racial discrimination to seek preclearance from the U.S. Attorney General or the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia before implementing any changes affecting voting in those jurisdictions; WHEREAS, following Shelby County, jurisdictions that had previously been...