Three groups representing minorities and civil rights interests are suing Gwinnett County in federal court, arguing the Board of Commissioners and Board of Education districts violate federal voting law.

The Georgia NAACP, the Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials and the Lawyer’s Committee for Civil Rights Under Law filed the lawsuit Monday morning. The groups are accusing the county of violating Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 by drawing districts that dilute the strength of minority voting blocks.

“This case exemplifies the need to safeguard access to the ballot to ensure that the right to vote is not impeded by the redistricting process,” Georgia NAACP President Francys Johnson said in a statement.

“When district lines have been drawn to marginalize minority voters, a lawsuit brought under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act is sometimes the only way minority voters can achieve parity with white voters and have the ability to elect candidates who are responsive to their needs and concerns.”

The groups want the districts for the county commission and school board re-drawn because they feel minority groups are spread too much across many of the districts for minority candidates to have a shot at getting elected to either board.

The lone district where they said there is a concentration of minorities is school board District 5, which they said was drawn to include about 74.4 percent of the county’s African-American, Latino and Asian-American populations. The three groups want the Board of Education District lines redrawn so that there will be at least one more majority-minority district.

They also want the four commission districts redrawn so that half of them are majority-minority.

“The decisions of these Boards impact the day-­to-­day lives of Gwinnett County residents in a myriad of ways, yet because of the packing and splitting of minority voters in the current district plans, minority candidates have been repeatedly defeated in Gwinnett County elections,” GALEO Executive Director Jerry Gonzales said in a statement.

“District lines must be fairly drawn for minority communities to elect the representatives of their choice, to engage meaningfully with decision makers, and to make sure that their needs are addressed.”

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