On Friday, Alabama Governor Kay Ivey advanced efforts to redraw the state’s congressional boundaries, responding to a recent Supreme Court ruling that limits the enforcement of the Voting Rights Act.
Ivey announced a special legislative session on Friday, set to address redistricting just days before the state’s May 19 primary. This move aligns Alabama with Louisiana in their efforts to dissolve majority-Black districts before the midterms.
Currently, Alabama has two majority-Black districts that lean Democratic, a result of a 2023 Supreme Court ruling that upheld the Voting Rights Act, alongside lower court directives that required the existing map.
However, in her statement, the Republican governor indicated that due to the Supreme Court’s decision earlier this week, which significantly weakened the VRA, Alabama has submitted an emergency motion to the Supreme Court. She called the special session to increase Alabama’s chances of adopting new congressional lines by November.
The special session is scheduled to commence on Monday, according to Ivey.
“By calling the Legislature into a special session, I am ensuring Alabama is prepared should the courts act quickly enough to allow Alabama’s previously drawn congressional and state senate maps to be used during this election cycle,” Ivey stated.
The governor anticipates the special session will conclude within five days.
Alabama’s Republican legislative leaders commended Ivey’s decision and expressed their intention to establish a contingency plan for the state’s congressional primaries, while also acknowledging the uncertainty of the court’s timeline aligning with their goals.
The specific map to be considered for November remains uncertain. Ivey mentioned that if previous court mandates are lifted, the state would revert to a 2023 map, which included one majority-Black, Democratic seat and six Republican-leaning seats.
Nonetheless, legislative leaders hinted at the possibility of pushing for a fully Republican delegation.
“While there are no guarantees that Alabama’s now unlawful, court-mandated roadblock will be removed in time, we have a responsibility to give our state a fighting chance to send seven Republican members to Congress,” Alabama House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter and Senate President Pro Tem Garlan Gudger Jr. said in a joint statement.
The push for redistricting in Alabama is part of a broader movement triggered by the Supreme Court’s significant ruling on the VRA.
Republicans across the Southern states have called for new district lines before November to bolster their hold on the House.
However, not all Southern states are rushing to redraw districts. Georgia Governor Brian Kemp announced on Friday that his state would not pursue new districts before the midterms, but likely will before 2028.
