Who could be affected if there are special Congressional elections?

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WAKA) – The Congressional redistricting effort going on in the Alabama Legislature could have some voters going to the polls for special elections later this year.

The legislature is in special session this week. Republicans want to change Alabama’s Congressional district lines for this year’s elections if the U.S. Supreme Court will allow it.

Alabama is one of several states that could change its districts. This is happening because of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling last week involving Louisiana. The court struck down a Black-majority Congressional district in that state on the grounds that race was too large of a factor in how it had been drawn up. Three years ago, the federal courts rejected Alabama’s Congressional district map that had been drawn up by the legislature following the 2020 Census.

Instead, the courts created its own map in order to give Black Alabama voters a greater chance of electing a second Black U.S. Representative. In 2024, Black Democrat Shomari Figures of Mobile was elected to represent Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District.

Republicans in the Alabama Legislature are hoping to return to the original map that they had passed. If that happens, Figures would be vulnerable in his re-election bid. However, when the courts drew up the new map that led to Figures’ election, it barred the Alabama Legislature from making any changes before the 2030 Census. State Republican leaders are appealing to the U.S. Supreme Court to allow them to take action now and not wait until then.

If the U.S. Supreme Court issues a decision in the Republicans’ favor, special elections could be held later this year. Voters may find themselves in different districts from what they are currently in. This primarily affects voters in the 1st, 2nd and 7th Congressional Districts.

In addition, Republicans in the Legislature are seeking to revert to the previous map for Alabama Senate districts, which the courts also changed. That affects Alabama Senate Districts 25 and 26 in our area. Those seats are currently held by Democratic State Sen. Kirk Hatcher and Republican State Sen. Wil Barfoot.