As The South Votes: The Podcast

Since the end of Reconstruction, voter suppression has been a tool of white supremacy in the South.

With new political maps in place that are likely to limit the Black vote, we face more of the same in the 2022 election. That's why Scalawag and Anoa Changa are teaming back up for a new podcast series covering Southern communities working to drive change at the ballot box and beyond.

Southern organizers know the monumental challenges their communities face. Through micro-interventions, these groups are providing a home base for community members to feel connected and supported as they take on entrenched power systems.

In the new 2022 season of As The South Votes, we talk about what's working, what's not, and what lessons Southern organizers have learned in their efforts to make the region we love a more just place.

Listen to the episodes:

How we organize around elections: Lessons from Mississippi organizers

As The South Votes, Episode 1. For Southern electoral and civic engagement organizers, there is no off-cycle.

Catching up with Mississippi Votes about what it means to organize young leaders to shift the balance of power in a state still combating deeply entrenched white supremacist power.

Listen to the episode.

How we fight gerrymandering in the South

As The South Votes, Episode 2. What gerrymandering looks like in the South—and what we can do about it before it's too late.

Putting redistricting in context, with a spotlight on the legal challenges to some highly questionable maps that have been allowed to go into effect for the upcoming election.

Listen to the episode.

How we build political power: Lessons from Texas and Florida organizers

As The South Votes, Episode 3. Instead of simply focusing on get-out-the-vote campaigns behind particular candidates, these groups are building for the long haul.

Organizers in Texas and Florida share what it means to build power outside of traditional electoral campaigns.

Listen to the episode.

How we save ourselves: Interventions beyond the ballot box

As The South Votes, Episode 4. 'Don't boo, just vote' is a tired refrain. It takes more than an election to save ourselves—let alone Democracy.

Groups that employ continued, year-round civic engagement in the South walk us through the connection between electoral power and creating real opportunities for our communities to thrive.

Listen to the episode.

As The South Votes: Live midterm election results

Follow along with live-updated maps for all U.S. House and Senate midterm elections by state—and check out Scalawag's deeper reporting about voting, electoral justice, and organizing in the South.

November 8, 2022November 8, 2022

If you want to get involved with electoral action, As The South Votes is the resource you need, whether you're just getting started or have been on the frontlines for years.

Together, we can expand who thinks of themselves as an organizer, and build collective power across the South. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to join us in this work.

Further reporting:

Illustrated: The South isn't so anti-abortion after all. Kentucky proved it at the polls.

A mother-daughter artist duo spoke to three activists to illustrate how organizers pulled off an electoral win for abortion in a red, anti-abortion state.

Activists across Kentucky organized voters against an amendment that would have prevented a right to abortion or abortion funds in the state constitution. In illustration, meet three folks who were part of the movement to defeat Amendment 2.

Blue County, Purple State

In Orange County, North Carolina, midterm preparations illuminate both liberal and conservative fears about voter intimidation, election security, and the struggle for the future of the swing state.

While the county might remain an uphill battle for Republicans, North Carolina as a whole is a political toss-up.

On abortion, count on Gen Z for more than votes

In a midterm election season rife with speculation about "the youth vote," these young Southerners fighting for abortion access know that their work doesn't end on election day.

For all the debate on how young voters will show up in 2022, there's a mismatch between campaigns to engage them and their experiences organizing for reproductive justice on the ground.

How millennial and Gen Z organizers are moving Mississippi beyond Jim Crow

'If we're asking folks to be in the field for five hours a day, we're making sure they're still taken care of after the election. We don't just drop out after Mike Espy doesn't win.'

Mississippi Votes invests in year-round community-building to build momentum for long-term political change.

In Texas' most populated counties, people-power and political power go hand-in-hand

'Our counties are as big as battleground states. If we win something, 4 million people instantly get to take advantage.'

Texas Organizing Project rallies its 285,000 members to keep momentum with some 6 million voters in the state's most populated counties between election cycles.

Florida's problems—and their solutions—are a bellwether for the South at large

'When you're seeing direct racial or racist intent on the part of someone who's in political power, it's your job to step up and take power back.'

Florida Rising is empowering organizers and redirecting resources to address government failings and shift the balance of power across the state.