A Black candidate for State Senate won over 80% of the Countywide vote in this County in 2022 over a White incumbent. Like most historically racist parts of the country, county voters nowadays seem to not care if a candidate is Black, just if the candidate has the desired party label.
But this was a candidate not the candidate of choice for the county's black population, which voted for Ausley. In redistricting law, its about if the candidate of choice for the minority community can win. So the Simon win would not be evidence against moving to single-member districts. What would prevent such a move today is the inability to draw a proper black-majority seat at this point.
Al Lawson also notably won Liberty in several elections back in the 1980s and 1990s. But there were still racial issues. Voters may have "exceptions" but redistricting law will look at broad strokes of elections to determine racially polarized voting.
I was aware of this. I fully know that Black voters in the county voted resoundingly for said White incumbent, and also would say that ideally redistricting law ultimately should care about whether the candidates of choice of minority groups are getting elected and not if members of the minority group are getting elected, especially if in some cases, those minority group members are winning in spite of opposition within their own group of voters. Sadly though, I am also aware that we have activist courts across the country that will allow maps that deny minority groups their deserved representation all the time.
A Black candidate for State Senate won over 80% of the Countywide vote in this County in 2022 over a White incumbent. Like most historically racist parts of the country, county voters nowadays seem to not care if a candidate is Black, just if the candidate has the desired party label.
But this was a candidate not the candidate of choice for the county's black population, which voted for Ausley. In redistricting law, its about if the candidate of choice for the minority community can win. So the Simon win would not be evidence against moving to single-member districts. What would prevent such a move today is the inability to draw a proper black-majority seat at this point.
Al Lawson also notably won Liberty in several elections back in the 1980s and 1990s. But there were still racial issues. Voters may have "exceptions" but redistricting law will look at broad strokes of elections to determine racially polarized voting.
I was aware of this. I fully know that Black voters in the county voted resoundingly for said White incumbent, and also would say that ideally redistricting law ultimately should care about whether the candidates of choice of minority groups are getting elected and not if members of the minority group are getting elected, especially if in some cases, those minority group members are winning in spite of opposition within their own group of voters. Sadly though, I am also aware that we have activist courts across the country that will allow maps that deny minority groups their deserved representation all the time.