Opinion ID: 1292120
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 8

Heading: Voting Rights Claim

Text: Under 42 U.S.C. § 1973(a), No voting qualification or prerequisite to voting or standard, practice, or procedure shall be imposed or applied by any State or political subdivision in a manner which results in a denial or abridgement of the right of any citizen of the United States to vote on account of race or color.... In Roberts v. Wamser, 883 F.2d 617 (8th Cir.1989), the Eighth Circuit held that an unsuccessful candidate attempting to challenge election results does not have standing under the Voting Rights Act. Id. at 621. The court observed that the contestant was not an aggrieved voter suing to protect his right to vote. Id. The contestant had instead alleged as an injury the loss of votes he should have received in the election. This was precisely the situation here. Butler did not sue to protect his own right to vote; nor did he sue to protect the rights of others. The only injury alleged by Butler was the loss of votes for the Ward 3 council seat. We therefore hold that Butler did not have standing under the Voting Rights Act.