MOBILE, Ala. (NBC 15) — 5/8/26 UPDATE:
Governor Kay Ivey on Friday signed House Bill 1 and Senate Bill 1 to authorize the governor to call a special election in certain congressional and state senate districts in anticipation of favorable court action in the state’s ongoing redistricting litigation.
The governor issued the following statement:
“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. I thank the Legislature for answering my call to address the issue in fast order. I am grateful to Speaker Ledbetter and Pro Tem Gudger for their strong leadership and focus this week. Alabama knows our state, our people and our districts best.” – Governor Kay Ivey
As the governor mentioned last week, by her calling the Legislature into a special session, she is ensuring Alabama is prepared should the courts act quickly enough to allow Alabama’s previously drawn congressional and state senate maps to be used during this election cycle. If the court-ordered injunctions are lifted, Alabama will revert to the maps drawn by the Legislature for congressional districts in 2023 and state senate districts in 2021.
The May 19, 2026, primary election will still occur as planned. If the injunctions are lifted, the governor may call a special election for certain state senate and congressional districts whose boundary lines changed as a result of reverting back to the 2021 and 2023 maps.
“Today is one of the darkest days in Alabama legislative history,” said JaTaune Bosby Gilchrist, the executive director of the ACLU of Alabama. “A majority of Alabama lawmakers voted to unconstitutionally disenfranchise nearly 3/5ths of the state’s voters, choosing party over the people. For several years now, the court has been consistent: Alabama violated the 14th Amendment by intentionally discriminating against Black voters in its congressional and legislative maps. The Callais opinion even agrees. We believe the court’s injunction will continue to stand. We will see them in court. In spite of the lawmakers’ injustices, our hearts are full because of the hundreds of Alabamians who showed up every day to protest and rally support against these bills. We heard their voices loud and clear, and we will continue to fight with and for them.”
“The actions of the Alabama Legislature demonstrated exactly why the Voting Rights Act is as necessary today as it was when it was signed into law nearly 61 years ago,” said Jerome Dees, Alabama policy director, SPLC. “Despite existing court orders for both the state senate and congressional maps, the Legislature has postponed election dates for the sole purpose of creating time and space for discriminatory gerrymandering that could cost Alabama’s Black communities their representation in the state and federal government. Primaries are already underway in Alabama. The Alabama Constitution prohibits changes to election procedure within six months of the election date. Not only are these changes confusing, unnecessary and unconstitutional,” continued Dees. “The SPLC will not sit idly by while legislators attempt to roll back progress made possible by the efforts of the Civil Rights Movement and will vigorously defend the voting rights of Black communities in Alabama.”
ORIGINAL ARTICLE:
Alabama lawmakers are set to vote Friday on redistricting-related legislation that could trigger new elections. Boos erupted in the crowd after the bills advanced out of House and Senate committees Thursday following heated public hearings at the State Capitol. The legislation would create a special primary election using a congressional map previously struck down by a three-judge federal panel, but only if an injunction is lifted that requires Alabama to use a court-drawn map through 2030. That court-ordered map significantly reshaped districts in south Alabama, removing Mobile from District 1 and creating a second Black-opportunity district in District 2.
Opponents, including Congressman Shomari Figures, who now represents District 2 under the court-drawn map, warned the changes could weaken representation for Black voters.
“I ran into a gentleman last night and he said, ‘Hey, man, I hear your job is on the line.’ And I told him, ‘No, Shomari Figures is going to be okay. Your voice is on the line,” said Figures.
Other speakers echoed those concerns, arguing that the proposal could silence communities.
If approved and allowed by the courts, a special primary election would be held using the 2023 map. The top vote-getter would win outright, eliminating runoff elections. Multiple congressional districts would be impacted, including Districts 1, 2, 6 and 7. Lawmakers also raised concerns about the cost of holding special elections. The congressional primary is estimated to cost $4.4 million, with an additional $600,000 for two state Senate races in the Montgomery area.
