Call to Action: TN Special Session & SCOTUS Decision
Tonight, I write to you full of rage - for our Black and brown community, for Tennesseans, for the step taken this week to disenfranchise thousands of people here in our country - and now is the time for those of us with privilege to use our voices to actually do something.
If you are already aware of what’s happening in Tennessee right now, feel free to skip the next few paragraphs for three immediate action items. If you’re not sure what’s going on, read on below.
To recap: the Voting Rights Act of 1965 is one of the most important pieces of legislation ever passed. Wednesday’s SCOTUS decision in Lousiana vs. Callais was an attack on this act and is the first step to dismantling it.
The governor of Louisiana immediately issued an order pausing their May 16th primaries until lawmakers can approve a new map, which could help the GOP gain one or two seats in the state this fall. Then - Tennessee decided that they wanted in on the fun.
First, Marsha Blackburn called for a special session to redistrict TN congressional seats - then Donald Trump called Bill Lee to request the same. We saw elected officials like Congressman Andy Ogles and Sumner County’s own Johnny Garrett posting about it as well. Then, a special session was announced.
Today, Governor Bill Lee has called an extraordinary session (special session) of the 114th Tennessee General Assembly to convene on May 5, 2026, specifically to redraw the state’s U.S. House congressional maps.
Below is an (admittedly small) screenshot of the official notice as well as the new proposed congressional maps (this was screenshot from TN State Rep. Jody Barrett’s post).
In case you cannot tell from the map, the goal in this redistricting is to remove Memphis’s congressional seat entirely, thereby taking away the single Democratic congressional seat we have here in Tennessee.
We are angry - righteously so. The Voting Rights Act was a monumental piece of legislation and, because of racist policies and racist legislatures, it is one of the only ways Black and brown voters can ensure they have representation at a congressional level that actually represents them.
Here’s the thing: this may feel familiar to you because in Sumner County, we have over 200,000 residents and over twenty percent of those are Black or brown. Our county commission and school board? White - every single seat, and it’s not because candidates of color haven’t run.
This is where the action items come into play.
First - and I know you know this is coming - we need donations to get candidates elected locally.This cycle, we have sixteen candidates running for either local or state office and if you want to see any level of diversity (or people who will work for policies supporting our minority population), electing them is critical.
Our Coordinated Field Director - a paid staffer who will be working with us to support candidates throughout the election cycle - starts on Tuesday, May 12th and we have big plans to ensure that we are scrappy, strategic, and smart about how we do things. We’re asking for sixteen dollars from each of you - one dollar per candidate - to help us make things happen.
Learn more about them here.
Second - this Sunday, our monthly potluck will now be an emergency phone bank + potluck. We will spend the evening calling strong Democratic supporters in Sumner County and asking them to A, get out and vote on Tuesday and B, call their state legislators and say NO to this redistricting. Sign up to join us here - or shoot us an email and we’ll share a link you can use from your own home to join us in phone banking on Sunday!
Finally - on Monday, May 4th at 6:00 PM, a coalition of local organizations who care deeply about protecting the right to vote have stepped up to host a Get Out The Vote rally at Clearview Park in Gallatin. This location is significant as it is directly behind the historic Union High School, Sumner County’s Black high school (this school remained segregated until 1970, when it closed and merged into Gallatin High School).
Thank you for sticking with me through this. I am thankful to each and every one of you who continues to show and fight for a better world, and I hope that you will join me and the rest of the executive committee and we stand up, speak out, and work hard for a Better Sumner.
Looking forward,
Megan Lange
Chair, Sumner County Democratic Party