Southern Democratic Party Declares Itself a Private Club, Excludes Black Voters Through White Primary

Since the South was effectively a one-party region (Democratic), winning the Democratic primary was equivalent to winning the election. Beginning in the early 1900s, Southern states allowed the Democratic Party to declare itself a private club and exclude Black members from primary elections. Since primaries selected the only viable candidates, Black voters were completely shut out of meaningful participation even when they managed to overcome poll taxes and literacy tests to register. The Supreme Court did not strike down the white primary until Smith v. Allwright in 1944.