Black voter turnout surges in US south despite Republican redistricting drive: ‘They could not stop the momentum’

Black voters in the South turned out in large numbers in Tuesday's midterms, helping Democrats win or keep House seats in Alabama, Texas and Florida even after Republican-led legislatures redrew maps in ways critics say were meant to weaken Black political influence. The redrawing followed an April Supreme Court decision in Louisiana v Callais that largely neutralized the Voting Rights Act's strongest remaining protection against racial discrimination in voting. Alabama, Tennessee and Louisiana adjusted districts afterward, while Texas had already done so at President Trump's direction, according to The Guardian.

Alabama shows the effect most clearly. Representative Shomari Figures, a Democrat, saw his majority-Black district reshaped into a more Republican-leaning one, yet he won by nearly eight points. Statewide participation climbed from 28% in 2022 to 44% this year, according to figures the Guardian reviewed, and in Figures's district Black-majority turnout was up 81%.

Activists credit anger over the ruling and the new maps. Ashley England-Albright of Black Voters Matter sees a direct link, while Nadine Smith of Color of Change says organizing continued despite the obstacles. In Louisiana, early Black ballots hit a ten-year midterm high.

Summarized by PolitiKool from The Guardian’s reporting. Read the full story at The Guardian →