Alabama GOP Gov. Kay Ivey has signed off on a controversial congressional map that includes only one majority-Black district, despite a court mandate for a redraw favoring two such districts, or at the very least, a close equivalent.
GOP Legislature vs Federal Courts
The Republican-dominated legislature in Alabama passed the remedial map shortly before a court-decreed deadline on Friday, with a federal court review set for mid-August. “Our state’s legislature knows our people and our districts better than the federal courts or activist groups, and I am delighted they addressed the issue and produced new districts before the court’s deadline,” Alabama GOP Gov. Ivey announced in a statement.
Against the backdrop of zero Democratic support, the legislature endorsed a remedial map featuring a single congressional district with a roughly 50% Black voting-age population and another with an approximate 40% Black voting-age populace.
The ‘Livingston 3’ map, dubbed as a “compromise” by the Republican leadership, was the outcome of a Friday afternoon conference committee, following divergent versions previously approved by the two chambers.
The Controversy Around Districts
Under the new map, District 7, currently represented by Democratic Congresswoman Terri Sewell, remains Alabama’s only majority-Black congressional district. However, the district witnesses a drop in its Black voting-age population from 55.6% to 50.65%. Data provided by the legislature shows a proposed increase in the Black voting-age population for District 2 in southeastern Alabama, but only to 39.93%.
