Expansion: Virginia
From 2020 onward, Virginia enacted automatic voter registration via the DMV, no-excuse absentee voting, and same-day registration. The state also restored voting rights to tens of thousands of returning citizens.
Today
Voting Access
The battle over who votes continues in the former Confederacy.
2024 Results
From Secession to Today
Ten of eleven seceding states backed the Republican ticket in 2024. Virginia stands alone.
| State | Seceded 1860-61 | 2024 Presidential Winner | Access Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Yes | Republican | Strict voter ID; limited early voting. |
| Arkansas | Yes | Republican | Photo ID requirements expanded in 2021. |
| Florida | Yes | Republican | SB 7050 tightened third-party registration and mail ballot rules (2023). |
| Georgia | Yes | Republican | SB 202 (2021) reshaped absentee voting, drop boxes, and ID rules. |
| Louisiana | Yes | Republican | Voter ID in place since 1997; fewer early voting days than national average. |
| Mississippi | Yes | Republican | Felony disenfranchisement upheld; no early voting beyond absentee exceptions. |
| North Carolina | Yes | Republican | SB 747 (2023) activated photo ID; altered mail ballot timelines. |
| South Carolina | Yes | Republican | No-excuse absentee only during 2020; ID required for absentee ballots. |
| Tennessee | Yes | Republican | Strict photo ID law; limited absentee categories. |
| Texas | Yes | Republican | SB 1 (2021) added signature reviews, ID matching, and criminal penalties. |
| Virginia | Yes | Democratic | No-excuse absentee voting, same-day registration, automatic voter registration. |
Data: AP state calls for 2024, Virginia DoE, Georgia SB 202 text, Texas SB 1 filings, Brennan Center.
Case Studies
Voting Access After Realignment
Expansion in some states. Restriction in others. The tug-of-war continues.
Restriction: Georgia
SB 202 trimmed drop boxes, shortened absentee request windows, and increased ID requirements. Federal courts continue to weigh challenges about disparate racial impact.
Restriction: Texas
SB 1 criminalized some forms of assistance, banned drive-through voting, and requires ID numbers on mail ballot materials. Federal courts struck down some sections; others remain.
Broader Trends
Brennan Center tracking shows 14 states expanded access in 2023-24 while 12 enacted new restrictions. The tug-of-war reflects ongoing battles over who votes, echoing Reconstruction.
All 11 States
Voting Access Today
After the Supreme Court weakened the Voting Rights Act in Shelby County v. Holder (2013), states previously covered by federal preclearance moved quickly. Here's where each former Confederate state stands.
Photo ID required since 2014
Post-ShelbyStrict ID
Alabama requires photo ID to vote and closed 31 DMV offices in 2015—primarily in Black Belt counties with highest Black populations. After backlash, some part-time offices reopened.
ID law struck down, then reinstated
Post-ShelbyStrict ID
Arkansas's voter ID law was struck down by state courts in 2014, then reinstated via constitutional amendment in 2018. The state has no early voting and limited absentee access.
Felony disenfranchisement persists
Post-Shelby1.1M
Despite 2018's Amendment 4 restoring voting rights, Florida's legislature added fees requirement. Over 1.1 million Floridians with felony convictions remain disenfranchised—disproportionately Black.
Drop boxes cut 87%
Post-Shelby-87%
SB 202 (2021) cut metro-Atlanta drop boxes from 107 in 2020 to just 16, with steepest losses in Fulton and DeKalb counties—the state's largest Black population centers.
No early voting expansion
7 days
Louisiana offers only 7 days of early voting (compared to 46 days in California). The state requires photo ID and has some of the most restrictive absentee voting rules in the nation.
Jim Crow-era provision survives
1890
Mississippi still uses an 1890 provision requiring statewide candidates to win both the popular vote AND a majority of state House districts—designed explicitly to dilute Black voting power.
"Surgical precision" targeting
Post-Shelby2016
The 4th Circuit struck down NC's 2013 law, finding it targeted Black voters "with almost surgical precision." The legislature passed new restrictions (S747) in 2023.
First post-Shelby restriction blocked
Post-Shelby2012
SC was the first state to pass a voter ID law after Shelby County (2013). A previous version was blocked by DOJ under preclearance. Current law requires photo ID with narrow exceptions.
Harshest registration penalties
Post-ShelbyFelony
Tennessee made it a felony to submit incomplete voter registration forms (2019), targeting voter registration drives. A federal court blocked parts of the law as unconstitutional.
Mail ballot rejections spike
Post-Shelby12K+
Under SB 1 (2021), over 12,000 mail ballots were rejected in the first election—disproportionately affecting Black and Latino voters in Harris County and other urban areas.
Turnout rises with access
+9 pts
After adding no-excuse absentee voting and same-day registration, Virginia's 2020 turnout jumped 9 points—the largest increase in the South. Virginia is now the only former Confederate state voting Democratic.
The pattern: Of the 11 former Confederate states, 8 enacted new voting restrictions after Shelby County v. Holder (2013) removed federal preclearance requirements. Only Virginia expanded access—and only Virginia voted Democratic in 2024.