Alabama Republicans Approve New Primary Elections Amid Redistricting Push

Republicans in Alabama approved plans Friday for new primary elections if courts permit a set of GOP-drawn House districts to be used in the midterms. The measure could eliminate one of the state's two Democratic seats.

Lawmakers passed the legislation this week. Republican Gov. Kay Ivey signed it into law the same day. The action responds to last week's Supreme Court ruling in Louisiana v. Callais, which weakened the Voting Rights Act.

The new law would set aside results from the state's May 19 primaries for some congressional seats. It directs the governor to schedule new primaries if a court allows the district lines to change.

A court injunction from last year requires Alabama to use its existing congressional map until after the 2030 census. That map includes five GOP-leaning districts and two Democratic-leaning districts where Black voters make up a substantial portion of the electorate. A court-appointed expert drew the map in 2023 after the Supreme Court and a lower court rejected two earlier versions by state lawmakers for violating the Voting Rights Act.

Last week, the Supreme Court narrowed Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. That section had required states to draw majority-minority districts in some cases.

Alabama Republicans now seek to restore a 2023 map with just one Democratic-leaning, plurality-Black district. Ivey called a special session of the legislature to plan for new primaries.

"With this special session successfully behind us, Alabama now stands ready to quickly act, should the courts issue favorable rulings in our ongoing redistricting cases," Ivey said in a statement.

Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall asked the Supreme Court on Friday to halt last year's lower court injunction and allow use of the 2023 map. Justice Clarence Thomas requested a response from the other side by Monday. Also Friday, the court that issued the injunction rejected a request to stay its ruling.

Chaos broke out at the Alabama Statehouse as security officers dragged one protester from the packed House gallery. Demonstrators outside shouted "fight for democracy" and "down with white supremacy."

Black lawmakers said the Republican legislation echoed the state's Jim Crow history. Senate Democrats yelled "hell no" and "stop the steal" during the vote.

"What happened here today is that we were set back as a people to the days of Reconstruction," Democratic state Sen. Rodger Smitherman said after the vote.

Republican lawmakers in Louisiana and South Carolina met similar opposition from civil rights activists and Democrats as they presented plans Friday to redraw congressional districts.

The moves followed Tennessee's enactment Thursday of new districts that split a Democratic-held, Black-majority district in Memphis. The state Democratic Party sued Friday to block the districts until after this year's elections due to the tight timeline.

Republicans and Democrats had already clashed over redistricting before last week's Supreme Court ruling. Each side sought an advantage in the midterms that will decide control of the closely divided House. The fight tilted toward Republicans Friday when the Virginia Supreme Court ruled that Democratic lawmakers violated constitutional requirements in placing a redistricting amendment on the ballot.