After endless back and forth, Alabama finally has new congressional lines. Last week, federal judges approved a new map with a second district where Black voters make up a large percentage of the electorate.
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The decision comes after Alabama Republicans spent the last several months defying orders from the Supreme Court to a second Black majority district or “close to it.” The Republican-state legislature was repeatedly warned that their map likely violated the Voting Rights Act because it denied Black voters, who comprise 27% of the state, the opportunity to adequately elect candidates of their choosing.
Since Alabama’s original appeal to the Supreme Court was rejected, it seems unlikely that the court will hear a new challenge to the map. Although, that doesn’t mean conservatives in the state won’t try to get the new map thrown out.
It’s worth noting that the new lines aren’t exactly what either side wanted. The newly formed southeastern district raises the Black voters from one-third of the voting population to 48.7%. In an interview with NPR News, Alabama House minority-leader Anthony Daniels expressed concerns that the new district doesn’t give Black voters enough of a foothold in the area.
“So you’ll be back to where you are in 10 years from now, trying to figure out a way to get the districts to change to be a majority, minority or quite close,” he told NPR’s Ayesha Roscoe, adding, “At the end of the day, oatmeal is better than no meal.”
Unless the Supreme Court does something unexpected, it seems likely this will be the map heading into the 2024 election — giving Black voters a better chance of electing candidates who represent their interests. The map also provides Democrats with a better shot at taking back the House in the next election cycle.
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