Action Update, May 4, 2026

Just as early voting in the Davidson County local primary was wrapping up last week, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a historic ruling weakening the landmark Voting Rights Act of 1965. This ruling opened up the entire nation to racist redistricting, aimed solely at getting more Republicans elected to the House of Representatives.

The SCOTUS vote is the most recent blow to free and fair elections. We’ve already seen numerous voter suppression efforts, ranging from photo ID restrictions to blocking the votes of college students and married women, to fewer polling locations in “anti-GOP” neighborhoods, to strangling voting by mail.

Now, our "very own" Senator Blackburn and Governor Lee colluded with Trump, and called the TN legislature back into session on May 5 -- all three of them brazenly posting on social media their intent to redraw district lines with the aim of removing the last standing "blue" district in our state: Memphis. (For those who don't already know, Nashville too was "blue" until the districts were ruthlessly gerrymandered here in 2022.) Taxation without representation, anyone?

Alas, the GOP is not the biggest risk to our voting rights. The biggest risk is that we will read the dismal headlines and give up in despair. That’s exactly what a dictator’s playbook desires – that good people feel helpless and stop fighting. But we will not let them win. Study the facts behind the headlines; educate others on the details. If we stay strong and united in our opposition, we can ensure a free and fair election in November, when it really counts. And the tides are turning -- ever-increasing grocery and gas prices have turned even the most hardcore MAGAts against their leader.