Newbern is about 80% Black and 20% white, but the town’s leadership, with the exception of Braxton and his town council, has been majority white for years. The defendants in the lawsuit, including the previous mayor and council, have refused to hold elections.

“[They’re] so stuck in their ways and don’t want nothing else for the town. They just want it to stay the same,” Braxton said last year. “I hope they break and just go ahead and release everything to me. If not, we’ll just go to court.”

Braxton assumed office by default in 2020 when he filed for office and no one else, including the incumbent, did the same. Previous Newbern mayors had also been appointed or ran unopposed, with several of the officers serving in the position for more than 10 years. Many residents did not know they were allowed to have elections.

The LDF lawsuit builds on a previous one filed last year, which alleged that white officials had manipulated the political process for years to maintain their power in the majority Black town. The defendants, listed as former mayor Haywood “Woody” Stokes III and his town council, held a secret, special election, preventing Braxton from appointing his town council. During their special election, the previous town council re-elected themselves, and ultimately reappointed the previous town mayor. They were aided, the lawsuit alleges, by the town’s bank and clerk. Newbern has effectively had two mayors since 2020.

Though the white officials have not recognized his position, Braxton has continued trying to serve as mayor, using his own funds to host events and food distribution drives.

 

Source: Alabama town that hasn’t held elections in decades sued to allow voting | US news | The Guardian