AS THE SOUTH GOESChris Kromm, Institute for Southern StudiesPublic Interest Projects Donor Learning InstituteSeptember 27-28, 2012

“You can’t understand [the South]. You would have to be born there.” — William Faulkner

“I’m Southern, and I know neurotic behavior.”— Faye Dunaway

“We are all magicians. We created the mystery of the South and we can dissolve it.” — Howard Zinn

"Stop talking about the South. Long as you’re south of the Canadian border, you’re in the

South.” — Malcolm X

Is your community in the South?

90%+ 75%+ 45%+

11

13

17

13

The Growing South

Winners and Losers: Congressional Seats

+8

Share of Electoral College

SOUTHERN32%

NON-SOUTHERN

68%

2012 Conventions Go South

Newcomers fuel growth

ALABAMA

ARKANSAS

FLORID

A

GEORGIA

KENTUCKY

N. CAROLIN

A

S. CAROLIN

A

TENNESSEE

TEXAS

VIRGIN

IA

0

500,000

1,000,000

1,500,000

2,000,000

2,500,000

3,000,000

3,500,000

4,000,000

4,500,000

TOTAL POPULATION CHANGEMIGRATION

Growing Latino communities

States with Fastest Latino/Hispanic Growth, 2000-2010

Latino communities fuel urban growth

The growing Southern Latino electorate

STATE2000-2010 Growth in

Latino Electorate

Total Latino Eligible Voters

Percent of State Electorate

Texas 38% 4,376,000 24.80%

Florida 66% 2,100,000 16.80%

Georgia 181% 194,000 2.90%

North Carolina 117% 182,000 2.80%

Louisiana 34% 67,000 2.50%

Virginia 76% 254,000 2.20%

South Carolina -2% 45,000 1.60%

Arkansas 200% 48,000 1.50%

Missisippi -58% 8,000 1.20%

Tennessee 177% 72,000 1.10%

Alabama 333% 20,000 0.90%

Tennessee 177% 72,000 1.10%

West Virginia 0% 5,000 0.30%

The Black Belt

African-American urban growth

Asian-American community growth

Majority People of Color counties

Majority People of Color counties – age 65 and older

Majority People of Color counties – age 18 to 34

Majority People of Color counties – age 1 and under

The growing urban South

… but still a big rural presence

Urban vs. Rural: N.C. Anti-Gay Marriage Amendment

POLITICAL POWER

EMERGING SOUTHERN MAJORITY

The war on voting

The impact of photo ID laws

STATE ESTIMATED VOTERS WITHOUT ID

PRESIDENTIAL VOTE MARGIN 2008

N. Carolina 460,000 14,177

S. Carolina 178,175 172,447

Tennessee 216,596 391,741

Texas 600,000 950,695

Congressional plans

State legislative plans

50% of people of color in the state are packed into:

3 of 13 Congressional districts (23%) 10 of 50 state Senate districts (20%) 25 of 120 state House districts (21%)

North Carolina

“[The 2011 Texas redistricting plan violated the Voting Rights Act by] diminishing the ability of citizens of the United States, on account of race, color, or membership in a language minority group, to elect their preferred candidates of choice … The only explanation Texas offers for this pattern is ‘coincidence.’ But if this was coincidence, it was a striking one indeed.”— U.S. Circuit Judge Thomas B. Griffith, August 2012

Texas

Anti-immigrant legislation

3 Art Pope groups = 75% of all outside money flowing into N.C. state legislative races in 2010, giving Republicans 10-to-1 money advantage

Associated Press, November 3, 2010

Right to work (for less) states

States with lowest union density

STATE % IN UNION

North Carolina 2.9South Carolina 3.4Georgia 3.9Arkansas 4.2Louisiana 4.5Tennessee 4.6Virginia 4.6Mississippi 5.0South Dakota 5.1Texas 5.2

Florida 6.3Kentucky 8.9Alabama 10.0West Virginia 13.8

The poverty belt

The South behind bars

12

45

7

8910

1213

Percent of ex-felons disenfranchised

Percent of African-American ex-felons disenfranchised

What’s our Southern Strategy?

Questions/More Information

CHRIS KROMMExecutive Director/Publisherchris@southernstudies.org@chriskromm

INSTITUTE FOR SOUTHERN STUDIESwww.southernstudies.org

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