Lewisville school board elections system violates voting rights for people of color, lawsuit alleges

A new lawsuit once again alleges that Lewisville ISD denies voters of color fair representation on its school board. The case against Lewisville schools, filed Tuesday in federal court, was brought on behalf of an African-American woman whose children attended district schools. Paige Dixon’s race will be integral to the case, given that a similar suit against LISD was thrown out because a judge determined the plaintiff, a white man, could not show that his voting rights had been impacted. Dixon ran for a spot on the board in May 2021 and lost. She alleges that the at-large system -- in which voters can cast ballots for every board spot, regardless of where in the district they live -- that is used to elect trustees undercuts the political voice of voters of color. The current lawsuit seeks to have the at-large system thrown out.

“Ms. Dixon believes that the change from the at-large voting system to either a single-member districts or a cumulative voting system will empower people of color to run for Trustee positions, inspire greater electoral participation, and lead to a more equitable system of representation,” it reads. District spokeswoman Amanda Brim said early Tuesday afternoon that the district has not yet been served and is, therefore, unable to comment. This is the second lawsuit against the district represented by the Brewer Storefront, a pro-bono affiliate of Brewer, Attorneys and Counselors firm that has taken on several similar cases in North Texas districts with mixed success. The firm’s new approach “solves the standing requirements and we’re anxious to bring the case,” said William A. Brewer III, the lead attorney. The storefront’s cases have mostly challenged election systems where representatives are elected at-large, rather than in single-member districts. They allege that systems in which voters cast ballots for every board spot – rather than only for the representative over their geographic area – violate the Voting Rights Act by diluting the power of Black and Latino residents.