Post Civil war Reconstruction and the Gerrymandering of Black Republicans

This post is currently being edited and is not completed


Florida's closed primary system disproportionately affects the rights of registered Black Republicans to vote in gerrymandered black districts across the country. A black Republican candidate who runs in a black district faces tremendous odds in winning an election . Under a closed primary system, two things happen. First the closed primary system only allows voters to vote for their party affiliated candidate in the primary. A voter will either receive a Democrat ballot or a Republican ballot.

Second, the majority of candidates running for office in black districts are Democrats therefore, registered black Republican voters in black districts cannot vote in the primary because the Democrat candidates name will not appear on their ballot. An overwhelming majority of the time, candidates running in black districts are democrats so, rarely ever is there a general election. Gerrymandering and closed primaries disproportionately affects black districts. It nullifies black voters opportunity to participate in a general election and choose the candidate of their choice, whether Republican or Democrat.

Therefore, if you are a registered black Republican you receive a Republican ballot in which there is only Republican candidates, which means a black Republican living in a majority democrat district cannot vote for a candidate in their district because the candidates are Democrats. Very few Blacks run on a republican ticket. There is no general election. Consequently, a black Republican is left out of the loop altogether. Whereas, in White districts almost 100% of the time there is a Republican and Democrat candidate, which allows both democrats and Republicans to participate in the complete election cycle, the primary and the general election. Florida's closed primary system disproportionately affects black Republicans


In districts that are subjected to gerrymandering all voters are allowed the opportunity to exercise their right to choose the candidates of their choice both in the primary and the general election. Notwithstanding, under Florida's closed primary system blacks who runs as a Republican in a Black Democrat district and faces opponents appears on a Republican ballot in which black Democrats will not be allowed the opportunity to vote. Furthermore, the chance of making to the general election is narrowed down because Blacks in those districts are not aligned to the Republican party, their are very few ,if any, registered black Republicans living in black districts, since most Republican in Florida are white, if the Black Republican faces an opponent in the primary odds are the opposition will be white.

Rarely ever if at all will two black Republicans face off in a majority black district. In is this a black or white issue, so this should not be taken out of context. There is no law stating that a black candidate should be able to vote for a black candidate. Unfortunately, closed primaries and gerrymandering disproportionately affects blacks in their ability to run, win , or vote as a candidate of any other party aside from the democrat party, which is a constitutional violation of the right life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. This is a Florida closed primary and gerrymandering issue, which makes it possible for a white Republican to win in the primary and face a Black opponent in the general election and creates an environment in which a Black Republican must depend on the support of the majority white Republicans (which are not representative of the entire district) to get elected in the primary. This is not to say white Republicans will not vote for black candidates, again gerrymandering and closed primaries are the issue here, which denies black Republicans a level playing field.

Denying a black Republican who lives in a majority Democrat black district the right to participate in the electoral process, violates the Voting Rights Act of 1964. Where does the Black Caucus, the NAACP, Jesse Jackson, and Al Sharpton stand pertaining to this issue. This process is a grave injustice to freedom. Blacks who are registered Republicans are dealt a severe blow to their freedom under the closed primary system. This system is discriminatory and disproportionately impedes on the rights of all blacks to participate in the political process regardless of race or political party.

Recently, I obtained a a copy of Canter Brown Jr's book titled " Florida Black Elected Officials 1867-1924" The book spanned the post civil war reconstruction era. The total number of blacks who served in public service during post civil war era reached closely to 1000. Unfortunately, Florida's black political leadership has received relatively little attention from lawmakers or historians . According to Brown, the picture appears to be no brighter on the regional and national level.

"As Howard Dodson noted in his foreword to Eric Foner's 1993 work Freedom's Lawmakers, " A Directory of Black Officeholders During Reconstruction", "Until recently, little was known about black Reconstruction lawmakers." Some readers doubtlessly will be surprised to learn, for example, that Florida's African Americans, in a pattern probably repeated in other southern states, resisted disenfranchisement and political exile for a generation or more after the end of Reconstruction. Perhaps a majority of Florida's black officials served after 1876 .

According to Cantor Brown's "Florida's first Black Elected Officials 1867-1924", gerrymandering began in 1889. At this time, post reconstruction Democrats in Florida watched their power increased. They determined to finally eliminate the possibility of Black political power for good. They devised measures such as "eight ballot-box system and most potent of all was the poll tax imposed by legislators and pushed ward system into placed that significantly diminished black representation on local councils to a maximum of one or two votes. As blacks threatened Democrat power, they reacted by putting into place new and stricter voter registration procedures and the permitting of reorganization of municipalities into wards that isolated black voters into one or two districts. These ward schemes were enacted throughout Florida.

Canton further stated " White Republicans also distanced themselves from aggressive black leaders. As early as January 1887 Willis Menard, a black editor and poet, a Republican who served in Florida's House of Representatives in 1874 reported in his newspaper the "Southern Leader "the Carpet-baggers are quietly organizing a Republican party in that State from among the leadership of which colored men are to be carefully excluded." These "Lily White" Republicans spread their message during the year and into 1888, forming influential clubs at Jacksonville, Tampa and other locations". John Willis Menard, September 1876 " The [ white carpetbaggers] have succeeded in getting the whole hog by ignoring the colored people and Southern loyalists, and also by committing frauds upon the party. Every intelligent colored man knows these facts. This ring does not represent Republican principles, neither does it care anything for the colored man except his vote".

From 1870 to 1965 post reconstruction blacks held the most significant representation in government. Blacks held significant representation in Congress. During which time, Republicans seated 2 black Senators and elected numerous blacks to the House of Representative. Likewise, in 1967 Republicans elected a black to congress. It was not until 1979 that Democrats elected their first black to the Senate, Carol Mosely Braun. Not until 2oo5 ,was another black elected to the Senate, Barack Obama. May God help us as we strive to level the playing field.