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There's a town in Alabama that skipped elections for 60 years; they'd just hand it off to a buddy. Someone finally registered to run and won by default, so ten days later they had a secret do-over to avoid a Black mayor.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newbern,_Alabama#Mayoral_dispu...



Hadn't heard about that one. Fascinating. Especially since the Black mayor then challenged the secret do-over, won, as was reinstated as mayor. Then the next year there was an actual election for the first time in over 60 years, and the Black mayor won reelection 66 to 26. Not 66% to 26%, 66 votes to 26 votes. Which just goes to show what a small town that was.

P.S. Population of that town in 2020, according to the census? 133 people.


Now here's the kicker - he resigned! Apparently he doesn't really live in the town and wasn't eligible to run for mayor after all.

https://www.al.com/news/2026/01/first-black-mayor-of-alabama...


That's hilarious. What a roller coaster of a soap-opera plot! Except it's not a soap opera, it's real life, and it happened in a small town of less than 150 people. The saying is right: truth often is stranger than fiction.


There are around 19,500 Incorporated Places.

About 42%, or 8,200 of those places, have less than 500 people.

About 20% of ALL US towns have less than 200 people.

It's a big country.


Alabama Goddam




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