Some were, but this was not the norm. For example, Blacks in Memphis were “permitted” to vote in the Jim Crow Era, so long as they backed the Democrat Crump Machine from the 1910s/20s-50s, which controlled TN politics statewide. They voted for whom they were told to vote. If they deviated from the script, the votes would be yanked. Even at that, they (Dems) still didn’t allow them even one state legislator from Reconstruction until the 1960s.
I once read a book about “Boss Crump”. He was a rare bird in that he was a benevolent dictator or “Boss”.
During his time, Memphis had excellent schools, beautiful parks and low crime. What crime there was was pretty much in the Black areas. He allowed them to do about what they wanted as long as it was limited to their neighborhoods.
Memphis in his time was a far, far better place to live than now.