Before the first Election Day ballot was counted, Black voters in the South had already made themselves heard. Early-voting numbers in Georgia and South Carolina show strong Black turnout, and a federal judge has drawn clear lines around the Justice Department's plan to send monitors to polling places.

This story covers what happened before Election Day. It does not cover or predict any results.

The early numbers

About 54 million early ballots were cast before Election Day, according to the University of Florida Election Lab, as reported by USA Today.

In Georgia, Black voters made up about 32% of early turnout, roughly 3 points higher than in 2022. In South Carolina, the share was about 27%, USA Today reported, citing the Election Lab.

Voting-rights leaders reported more gains on a Friday press call, according to the Alabama Reflector. They said Black turnout in North Carolina was up 70% over the same point in 2022, and that Louisiana's first day of early voting was almost 32% Black. Those figures come from advocacy groups and haven't been independently confirmed.

Why turnout may be up

In April, the Supreme Court weakened Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act in Louisiana v. Callais. Alabama, Tennessee and Louisiana then redrew their maps, NPR and the Alabama Reflector reported.

Analysts and activists quoted in that coverage connect the new maps to the rise in Black turnout. That's their reading of the numbers, and it shows how closely many voters are watching what happens to their districts.

A judge sets limits on DOJ poll monitors

The Justice Department plans to send about 1,000 poll monitors. The NAACP and the Legal Defense Fund went to court in NAACP v. Blanche, arguing that agents from federal law-enforcement agencies, including the Bureau of Prisons and the DEA, could intimidate voters, according to an LDF press release.

On Nov 2, U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton denied the NAACP's request for a temporary restraining order, Fox News reported. But he ordered the DOJ to make sure its monitors:

  • are administrative or clerical staff
  • are out of uniform and wear no federal insignia
  • carry no arrest power and play no law-enforcement role

The judge also ordered the DOJ to file a status report by 7 a.m. ET on Tuesday, Nov 3.

What to know if you're voting today

If you have questions about your polling place or your rights, your county or state election office is the place to check. The court's order means DOJ monitors at the polls should be clerical staff with no power to arrest anyone.

Whatever the final count shows, Black voters across the South had already made their turnout count before Election Day began.

Sources