Black turnout surged in Alabama and across the South despite GOP redistricting push

Black voter turnout surged across Southern states where Republicans were accused of redrawing election maps to "diminish Black political power," the Guardian reported Saturday. Democrats flipped or held seats in Alabama, Texas and Florida with support from this voting bloc ¹.

The redistricting drive followed an April Supreme Court decision, Louisiana v. Callais. The Guardian says the ruling effectively gutted a major section of the Voting Rights Act, the 1965 law that bars racial discrimination in voting ¹.

Alabama's 2nd District

After the ruling, Alabama quickly reinstated an old map. A court had previously found that map diminished Black voters' influence in the state's Black Belt region ¹. Tennessee and Louisiana also redrew majority-Black districts, and Texas Republicans had redrawn maps earlier, according to the Guardian, following directions from President Trump ¹.

Rep. Shomari Figures, a Democrat, faced a tougher race after his district was redrawn to favor Republicans. He won by nearly eight points, according to the Guardian ¹. Local public radio reported that he beat Republican Rhett Marques with about 54% of the vote, a margin of nearly 17,000 votes ².

From Channel GOPShomari Figures wins Alabama's House District 2Shomari Figures · 147 plays · captioned, with the source named

Turnout in majority-Black Alabama counties rose on average by 65% statewide, from 28% in 2022 to 44% in 2026, according to data the Guardian reviewed. In Figures's district, Black-majority turnout rose 81%, and the three counties with the highest turnout were Black-majority ¹.

What organizers say

Ashley England-Albright, co-founder of Black Voters Matter, linked the court ruling, the new maps and the vote ¹.

There is a direct correlation between the Callais decision, the behavior of these state assemblies, and Black voters turning out during the primary, and then the results that we saw on Tuesday

Nadine Smith, head of Color of Change, said the administration had spent two years attacking voting rights and weakening voter protections. She said organizers saw a surge even in early voting ¹.

they could not stop the momentum

The pattern showed up earlier. A July study of Southern primaries found the Callais ruling was already increasing Black participation ¹. In Louisiana, which triggered the ruling, Black voters were 35.7% of the primary electorate but 32.1% of the population. More Black voters cast early ballots there than in any midterm or governor's race in the past decade ¹.

What happens next

Organizers say the fight is not over. Ashley K. Shelton of the Power Coalition for Equality and Justice in Louisiana said, "We still have to fight to protect representation" ¹. The new maps remain in place in several states, and turnout alone does not restore the protections the court weakened.

That matters because the Voting Rights Act's strongest remaining tool is now ineffective, according to the Guardian ¹. Many older readers remember the 1965 march on Alabama's Edmund Pettus Bridge, known as Bloody Sunday. Advocates frequently cited it this year to remind voters what is at stake ¹.

The Guardian's turnout figures come from data it reviewed, and the full statewide numbers for the general election are not detailed in the report. The Alabama result itself is confirmed by local reporting ¹².

The Record

1. Nov 3, 2026Rep. Shomari Figures, a Democrat, wins Alabama's redrawn 2nd District, defeating Republican Rhett Marques ¹².
2. Nov 7, 2026The Guardian reports Black turnout surged in Southern states despite Republican redistricting ¹.

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<h2>Black turnout surged in Alabama and across the South despite GOP redistricting push</h2> <p><em>By The GOP Files Campaign Desk. This article first appeared on <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/black-turnout-surged-in-alabama-and-across-the-south-despite-gop-redistricting-push">The GOP Files</a> on Saturday, November 7, 2026.</em></p> <p>Black voter turnout surged across Southern states where Republicans were accused of redrawing election maps to &quot;diminish Black political power,&quot; the Guardian reported Saturday. Democrats flipped or held seats in Alabama, Texas and Florida with support from this voting bloc .</p> <p>The redistricting drive followed an April Supreme Court decision, Louisiana v. Callais. The Guardian says the ruling effectively gutted a major section of the Voting Rights Act, the 1965 law that bars racial discrimination in voting .</p> <h2>Alabama&#39;s 2nd District</h2> <p>After the ruling, Alabama quickly reinstated an old map. A court had previously found that map diminished Black voters&#39; influence in the state&#39;s Black Belt region . Tennessee and Louisiana also redrew majority-Black districts, and Texas Republicans had redrawn maps earlier, according to the Guardian, following directions from President Trump .</p> <p>Rep. Shomari Figures, a Democrat, faced a tougher race after his district was redrawn to favor Republicans. He won by nearly eight points, according to the Guardian . Local public radio reported that he beat Republican Rhett Marques with about 54% of the vote, a margin of nearly 17,000 votes .</p> <p>Turnout in majority-Black Alabama counties rose on average by 65% statewide, from 28% in 2022 to 44% in 2026, according to data the Guardian reviewed. In Figures&#39;s district, Black-majority turnout rose 81%, and the three counties with the highest turnout were Black-majority .</p> <h2>What organizers say</h2> <p>Ashley England-Albright, co-founder of Black Voters Matter, linked the court ruling, the new maps and the vote .</p> <blockquote><p>There is a direct correlation between the Callais decision, the behavior of these state assemblies, and Black voters turning out during the primary, and then the results that we saw on Tuesday</p><p>&mdash; Ashley England-Albright, co-founder and legal director, Black Voters Matter</p></blockquote> <p>Nadine Smith, head of Color of Change, said the administration had spent two years attacking voting rights and weakening voter protections. She said organizers saw a surge even in early voting .</p> <blockquote><p>they could not stop the momentum</p><p>&mdash; Nadine Smith, president and CEO, Color of Change</p></blockquote> <p>The pattern showed up earlier. A July study of Southern primaries found the Callais ruling was already increasing Black participation . In Louisiana, which triggered the ruling, Black voters were 35.7% of the primary electorate but 32.1% of the population. More Black voters cast early ballots there than in any midterm or governor&#39;s race in the past decade .</p> <h2>What happens next</h2> <p>Organizers say the fight is not over. Ashley K. Shelton of the Power Coalition for Equality and Justice in Louisiana said, &quot;We still have to fight to protect representation&quot; . The new maps remain in place in several states, and turnout alone does not restore the protections the court weakened.</p> <p>That matters because the Voting Rights Act&#39;s strongest remaining tool is now ineffective, according to the Guardian . Many older readers remember the 1965 march on Alabama&#39;s Edmund Pettus Bridge, known as Bloody Sunday. Advocates frequently cited it this year to remind voters what is at stake .</p> <p>The Guardian&#39;s turnout figures come from data it reviewed, and the full statewide numbers for the general election are not detailed in the report. The Alabama result itself is confirmed by local reporting .</p> <p><em>Read the original, with every source linked, at <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/black-turnout-surged-in-alabama-and-across-the-south-despite-gop-redistricting-push">thegopfiles.com</a>. Republished under The GOP Files' <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/republish">free republishing terms</a>.</em></p> <img src="https://thegopfiles.com/api/rp/black-turnout-surged-in-alabama-and-across-the-south-despite-gop-redistricting-push.gif" alt="" width="1" height="1" style="border:0;width:1px;height:1px">

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Sources

1. The Guardian, “Black voter turnout surges in US south despite Republican redistricting drive: 'They could not stop the momentum'” (2026-11-07). theguardian.com/us-news/2026/nov/07/black-voter-turnout-gerr
2. WBHM/WWNO, “Democrat Shomari Figures reelected to Alabama's District 2 seat” (2026-11-04). wwno.org/2026-11-04/democrat-shomari-figures-reelected-to-al

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