Alabama Redraws Its Map, Erases a Black-Majority District, and Makes Voters Do It All Over Again

Alabama voters returned to the polls Tuesday for a rare second congressional primary, re-running contests in Districts 1, 2, 6 and 7 after the U.S. Supreme Court lifted a lower-court restriction on May 11 and cleared the state to revert to a Republican-drawn map. Gov. Kay Ivey called a special legislative session to redraw four of the state’s seven districts, eliminating a second Black-majority district that had existed since 2024 under a court-ordered map found to have diluted Black voting power [1, 2]. Tuesday’s do-over replaces the May 19 primary results in the affected districts, with no runoff provision — whichever candidate wins a plurality becomes the nominee outright. Roughly 3.8 million Alabamians are registered to vote, but turnout in the original May primary was just 11%, and election officials and advocacy groups warned confusion over the second election date and new district lines could suppress participation again [1, 2].

Democratic Rep. Terri Sewell, whose district was affected by the redraw, said the fight is “not about no representation or some representation. It’s about fair representation” [1]. Three liberal Supreme Court justices dissented from the May ruling, writing that the majority rewarded Alabama’s defiance of earlier court orders [3].

Why It Sucks:

Alabama Republicans and Gov. Kay Ivey’s Administration

• The state is finally using its own map. After years of court fights, Republicans argue the Supreme Court’s May ruling simply restored the legislature’s constitutional authority to draw its own congressional lines without race-based mandates imposed by lower courts [3, 4].
• A second primary is the price of a legal win. State officials frame the Tuesday do-over as an unavoidable but temporary inconvenience needed to bring the primaries into compliance with the restored map before November [1, 4].
• No runoff keeps it simple. Republicans point to the plurality-winner rule as a practical way to avoid dragging the redo into a third election cycle, even if it means a nominee could win with well under half the vote [1].

Black Voters, Civil Rights Advocates and Democrats

• A Black-majority district just disappeared. The redraw eliminates a second Black-majority district that had existed since 2024 under a map courts found necessary to remedy discrimination, a rollback civil rights advocates say strips Black Alabamians of a voice they only just won [1, 2].
• Sewell says it’s about fair representation. Rep. Terri Sewell argues the debate was never about denying Black voters representation entirely but about whether they get a fair share of it, and says the new map fails that test [1].
• Three justices called it a reward for defiance. Democrats note three dissenting Supreme Court justices accused the majority of rewarding Alabama’s refusal to comply with earlier redistricting orders, calling it a green light for other states to stall out the courts [3].

Local Voters and Election Administrators

• Voting twice in one year breeds confusion, not turnout. With new district lines and a second primary date to track, county election officials and nonpartisan groups warned confused voters might simply stay home [1, 2].
• Turnout was already dismal. Only about 11% of eligible voters cast ballots in the original May primary, and officials feared Tuesday’s repeat would fare no better given the compressed timeline and lack of public awareness [1].
• Candidates had to campaign twice for the same seat. Contenders in the four affected districts were forced to fundraise, canvass and debate under one map in May and then do it again under a different one in August, burning resources that could have gone toward the general election [2].

Sources & Citations:

[1] NPR: Alabama’s primary election is confusing voters and candidates
[2] KPBS: Alabama holds second primary Tuesday, leading to confusion, concerns about low turnout
[3] CNN: The Supreme Court gave Republicans another congressional win. But its ruling means much more.
[4] Office of Governor Kay Ivey: Governor Ivey Celebrates Major Court Victory in State’s Redistricting Battle