WHITE PRIMARY. A legal device once employed by some Southern states to prevent African Americans from exercising their right to vote in a meaningful way. In the 1920s Southern states began using the white primary as a way of limiting the ability of African Americans to play a part in the political process,
It forced Georgia to allow African-Americans to vote in the Democratic primary. But, the Democrats had other ideas…they wanted to make their primary’s a private club. Governor Ellis Arnall prevented that from happening, and the white primary neared its end. But, it would still be a struggle.
