NRF Pans Alabama Committee’s Gerrymandered Map, Pledges to Challenge in Court if Enacted

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Jena Doyle

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NRF Pans Alabama Committee’s Gerrymandered Map, Pledges to Challenge in Court if Enacted

The Republican map falls far short of providing Black voters the ability to elect candidate of their choice in two districts as required by law

Washington, D.C. – Today, the Alabama Legislative Committee on Reapportionment passed a map titled the “COI Plan,” a map that does not provide a second majority Black district with a Black Voting Age Population that is above 50 percent, nor anything close to it. Specifically, the newly constituted district, which purportedly has been drawn to comply with the court’s order, has a Black Voting Age Population of only 42.45 percent—an amount that falls far short of what is necessary and required to allow Black voters in Alabama an equal opportunity to elect candidates of their choice pursuant to Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. In addition to that, the map was introduced after public hearings concluded, effectively preventing the public from having any opportunity to respond to it. 

The Alabama Legislature’s Special Session is set to begin at 2 PM CT today, where it will likely vote on this gerrymandered map. 

“It is clear that Alabama Republicans are not serious about doing their job and passing a compliant map, even in light of a landmark Supreme Court decision, ” said Marina Jenkins, Executive Director of the National Redistricting Foundation (NRF). “This map and the process that led up to it are as deceitful as they are shameful. This follows a pattern we have seen throughout history when it comes to redistricting in Alabama, where a predominately white and Republican legislature has never done the right thing on its own, but rather has had to be forced to do so by a court. If the legislature enacts this shameful map, it will be challenged in court. The Alabama legislative Republicans have a choice to either continue with this atrocious pattern of voter disenfranchisement and to be challenged in court, or finally pass a map that appropriately reflects the state’s voters—and that’s a map with two districts where Black voters make up more than 50 percent of the voting age population. Our hope is that they use this opportunity to change the course of history in Alabama—for the better.”

The NRF, the 501(c)(3) affiliate of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee (NDRC), supports the map developed by the plaintiff groups who succeeded on the Section 2 claim at issue in this case, what is officially titled “VRA Plaintiffs’ Remedial Plan.” The VRA Plaintiffs’ Remedial Plan provides fair and legally compliant representation to voters by including two congressional districts that have a Black Voting Age Population (BVAP) of above 50 percent, which is necessary for these districts to effectively provide an equal opportunity for Black voters in Alabama to elect their candidates of choice as required by the VRA. And it does this while making minimal changes to the state’s current map. More information about the VRA Plaintiffs’ Remedial Plan can be found here.   

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