Alabama Approves New Voting Map Without Second Majority-Black District

Alabama's Republican-controlled legislature approved a new congressional map that does not include a second majority-black district, sparking backlash from Democrats and voting rights advocates.

For Context: In early June, the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that Alabama’s congressional map violates Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act and must be redrawn to include a second district with a majority black voter population or “something quite close to it.” The new map, approved by Alabama Governor Kay Ivey on Friday, does not include a second majority-black district but increases the percentage of black voters in one district from 31% to 40%.

Key Quotes: Attorney Deuel Ross, a member of the legal team that challenged the previous map struck down by the Supreme Court, accused Alabama Republican lawmakers of “blatantly disregarding not just the Voting Rights Act, but a decision from the U.S. Supreme Court and a court order from the three-judge district court,” adding that lawmakers “remain determined to rob Black voters of the representation we deserve.” Governor Ivey pushed back on this, claiming the state Legislature “knows our state, our people and our districts better than the federal courts or activist groups.” State House Speaker Pro Tempore Chris Pringle said the new map “provides an opportunity for the minorities to elect a candidate of their choosing.”

How the Media Covered It: Right-rated outlets are more prominently highlighting the room for interpretation in the Supreme Court’s ruling that the second district must be “something quite close to” majority-black.