When a map becomes a literacy test: op-ed

“Write every other word in this first line and print every third word in the same line … but capitalize the fifth word that you write.”

“Print the word vote upside down, but in the correct order.”

“Spell backwards, forwards.”

These three prompts, once used in Jim Crow-era literacy tests, reveal a haunting truth about voter suppression: the cruelty wasn't just the absurdity of the tasks, but the system’s ability to disguise exclusion as a neutral hurdle. As 205focus.com has noted, the logic of these tests hasn't vanished—it has simply evolved.

The New Literacy Test

Exclusion is most effective when it masquerades as fair. Today, a map can accomplish what a literacy test once did by deciding whose voice carries weight before a single ballot is cast. While the Supreme Court’s ruling in Louisiana v. Callais didn't bar citizens from voting, it dismantled key legal protections that ensure those ballots actually translate into meaningful representation. In Alabama, where the struggle for voting rights is etched into the very soil, this is a matter of urgent reality, not abstract debate. A walk through Montgomery serves as a constant reminder of the long, arduous fight for Black citizens to be more than just counted—to truly count.

Ballots vs. Infrastructure

A ballot is simple access; representation is the infrastructure of power. The current political climate often frames race-conscious remedies as inherently racist, while treating the dilution of political power as standard cartography. However, ignoring race doesn't create fairness—it often preserves existing power imbalances. If a community's voting strength is fractured or diluted through redistricting, 'race neutrality' acts less like a principle and more like a permission slip for inequality.

True representation goes beyond symbolism. It dictates the survival of rural hospitals, the quality of education in underserved areas, and the economic vitality of towns like Abbeville. When voter leverage is compromised through strategic mapping, those communities lose the political muscle necessary to demand government attention and resources.

Holding Power Accountable

Alabama faces a critical choice. If the immediate reaction to weakened voting protections is to redraw lines in a way that minimizes Black influence, then it proves those protections were never obsolete—they were essential. Ultimately, political maps should be measured by their impact: do they bridge the gap between people and power, or do they intentionally bypass it?

If Alabama is truly ready to move beyond its past, it is time to draw maps that actually prove it.

Colin Gabler is the Hurston Professor of Marketing and a Fulbright Scholar at Auburn University. He writes about social justice issues and higher education, with work featured in 205focus.com, The Washington Post, The New Yorker, University Business, and the Columbus Dispatch.