2K Texas churches join 'Black Out Sunday' to 'energize' African American vote for midterms
About 2,000 churches from various denominations across Texas took part in an event seeking to mobilize African American voters ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm elections.
Known as “Black Out Sunday,” the African American Pastors Coalition (AAPC) organized the event, held Sunday at churches across the Lone Star State.
The Rev. Richie Butler, pastor of St. Luke Community United Methodist Church of Dallas and president-elect of the AAPC, told The Christian Post that the coalition was inspired to hold the event by last year’s debate over congressional redistricting in Texas.
The new congressional map drew litigation and accusations of gerrymandering. Texas' action also inspired politicians in other states to attempt to change their congressional maps. Critics argued that the Texas map, which favored Republicans, unlawfully minimized the black vote in Texas.
“We began to try to organize around that and protest,” Butler said.
Over time, his efforts and those of others shifted from “what we can do” to “prepare for 2026.”
The goal of Black Out Sunday, Butler said, was for churches to “be one of the vehicles that could help drive voter engagement and participation.” Organizers asked congregations to commit to “100% voter participation” among members who are eligible and registered to vote.
Organizers chose Oct. 25 because it was the first Sunday after early in-person voting began in Texas, allowing churches to get people to the polls that same day.
“We definitely generated a lot of energy and excitement within our congregations,” Butler said. “The good news is that a number of pastors around the state recognized that on Sunday, probably a good majority of their congregation had already voted.
“That's fine. We just want people to vote. But then those who didn't vote, we led them to the polls. So, I literally got in the church van myself and rode to the polls with members to go cast our ballots.”
The coalition initially planned to organize about 1,000 congregations for Black Out Sunday, but about 2,000 churches took part.
Butler believes participation doubled because “churches and denominations were already organized.” He attributed that to a shared recognition that “we're in a critical moment in our nation's history.”
“There are pastors who are not politically engaged or don't talk about this stuff, but I think they recognized that this is a moment where ‘I can't be silent, I need to lift my voice and engage in this moment,’” he added.
Butler drew a parallel to the Souls to the Polls movement, which seeks to mobilize members of historically black churches to get out and vote.
The United Methodist pastor also compared the event to Black Friday, the traditional start of the Christmas shopping season, held each year the day after Thanksgiving.
“People get up early, they map out, they camp out, they wait for the stores to open, you know, they're excited, there's energy, they are looking for that great sale, shop 'til you drop,” he said. “We wanted to create that same energy and excitement around going to cast your ballot at the polls.”
“I think the lasting impact is that we use this energy and momentum to continue to forge forward a specific social justice agenda that continues to improve life for the least of them, the left out, and the left behind,” Butler said. “And that I think we recognize that when we come together, we are a powerful force to be reckoned with.”
