Alabama Democrats rally against changes in Congressional district lines
The Alabama Democratic Party held a rally to protest possible changes to the state’s Congressional district lines, Monday, May 4, 2026 – Photo from WAKA Action 8 News
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WAKA) – The Alabama Democratic Party has held a rally in front of the Alabama State House to protest possible changes to Alabama’s Congressional district lines.
The Alabama Legislature was called into special session starting today to make preparations in case the U.S. Supreme Court allows the state to change the districts. In 2023, the courts created the current district map to give Black voters a greater chance at electing a Black U.S. Representative. One year later, Black Democrat Shomari Figures was elected to the U.S. House in the court-drawn 2nd Congressional District.
Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a Congressional district in Louisiana, saying race was too large of a factor in how it was drawn up. Alabama Republicans want the U.S. Supreme Court to use that decision to allow them to revert back to the Congressional district map passed by the Legislature after the 2020 Census.
Today, Randy Kelley, chairman of the Alabama Democratic Party, and Joe Reed, vice-chairman, held a news conference and a rally in front of the Alabama State House to say the map should stay just as it is. They and people at the rally say that the Republican-led Legislature is trying to strip Black Alabamians of their voting rights.
Kelley says that the fight against racism is not over.
“The Montgomery Bus Boycott victory, the Supreme Court victory that came about here in Montgomery, Alabama, everything that we have, the Civil Rights Act, the Voting Rights Act, the Fair Housing Act and much of that was led by social conscious preachers and church leaders,” Kelley said. “Activists in the street, people like Dr. Joe L Reed and others, they had to put their feet in the street so we are in a battle right now. We are in a battle and we ain’t going backwards, we are going forward.”
“This plot has been in the making for a long time,” Reed said. “It didn’t come by accident. It came by getting the Supreme Court, the type of Supreme Court that this crowd wanted. We don’t want that court, and this country can’t afford that court. This country cannot go back to a segregated society, and that’s what some people want us to go.”
Kelley says The Democratic Party is actively organizing “Get Out to Vote” campaigns in strategic cities throughout the state.
Unless the Supreme Court intervenes, Alabama has been told that it cannot change the district lines until after the 2030 Census. Alabama Republicans want the court to allow it to make changes this election year.
The U.S. Supreme Court isn’t obligated to rule on Alabama’s requests.
