This entire proposal was subject to review under the VRA. The city challenged the attorney general's authority to reject the annexation and electoral systems for each, as plaintiffs believed the reduction in seats and requirement for majority ranking to win would dilute the voting power of the African-American minority. In 1970, the city had a population of 30,759, with an ethnic composition of 76.6% White and 23.4% Black. Under the state constitution and previous practices making voter registration difficult, African Americans had been essentially disenfranchised since the turn of the 20th century.