End of the County Unit System

Introduction

End of the County Unit System icon The County Unit System was a unique system to the state of Georgia that did not recognize the population differences between the urban and rural settings in the state. It allowed rural counties to control Georgia elections by decreasing the political voice of the urban counties and cities, especially Atlanta. This system allowed the rural communities to maintain political control and keep the Democrats in power; in the 1970s the state abolished this system.

County Unit System Issues

Rural counties had 30% of the population, yet they made up 59% of the voting power for the statewide elected officials
Under the system, the winner of the popular vote in each country received the unit votes for that county
The system gave each county units based on the size of their population
Urban counties received up to 6 votes
Town counties received up to 4 votes
Rural counties received at least 2 votes
This allowed rural areas to have more voting units per person than the large city areas, thus giving most of the political power to the rural communities

Photograph of voting in the county unit system

Need for Change

Many African Americans and whites who wanted to see change lived in the cities.
The majority of the state's population was living in the cities, yet had less political power with their vote.
Voting districts were drawn to give white voters more political voice than African-Americans.

Time For a Change

James Sanders from Atlanta sued James Gray from a rural county saying Gray’s vote counted more than his did.
This case was heard in the Supreme Court and became known as Gray v. Sanders.
The Supreme Court ruled in favor of Sanders and declared that each person should have one vote.
This became known as the one man, one vote rule
The 15^th amendment guarantees equal protection in regards to voting, which Georgia was violating with the County Unit System.
The Supreme Court ordered Georgia to reorganize its Congressional districts.

Reapportionment

In 1964, the Supreme Court went even further and ruled that states had to make sure their voting districts were equal in population and representation.
As a result, Georgia had to undergo reapportionment, the redrawing of their political districts.
Since more Georgians lived in urban areas, they gained power, while rural areas lost power in the state legislature.
This reapportionment brought in more diversity with more women, African Americans, and Republicans into the General Assembly.

Before Apportionment

Laws were in place that made it harder for African Americans to register to vote.
Most African Americans lived in urban areas that had fewer unit votes.
The unit votes did not add up to make a change.

After Reapportionment

All votes were equal.
African Americans and other liberals were able to vote for change.
People in the cities had more influence on votes.
Groups like the NAACP helped African Americans register to vote.

Carl Sanders

Carl Sanders was the first governor elected by popular vote under the new system.
He helped Georgia move to a more industrial economy.

Review

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Think About This

The county unit system affected the state of Georgia for many years. Initially the state began as a rural, agricultural focused economy. As the state grew in industry and population the cities, especially Atlanta, began to explode in population. The Democrats controlled the politics of the state for numerous years due to the county unit system. The Supreme Court case Gray vs Sanders forced the state to reevaluate its political structure. After the reapportionment the state begin to see more diversity in the election process.

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF GEORGIA ARCHIVES, VANISH GEORGIA COLLECTION. ALL OTHER IMAGES CREATED BY GAVS