
Lonnie
E. Smith
Lonnie E. Smith, black dentist and civil-rights
activist. On July 27, 1940, he
attempted to vote in the Democratic primary. As
an African American, he was denied a ballot
under the white primary rules of the time.
Smith, filed suit in the United States District
Court, in 1942. On April 3, 1944, the court's
decided in Smith favor. Since that time, all
eligible Texans have had the right to vote in
the primary election of their choice. |