Compiled From Online Reports
On Friday, Gov. Kay Ivey issued a proclamation calling the Alabama Legislature into a special session starting May 4 at 4 p.m. The focus of the session is strictly on setting up special primary elections if the state’s ongoing legal battle over voting maps shifts in its favor.
In a statement, Ivey pointed to a recent Supreme Court decision in a Louisiana redistricting case (Louisiana v. Callais) as a source of optimism. Following that ruling, Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall filed emergency motions with the high court regarding the state’s own redistricting fight.
“I remain hopeful Alabama will receive a favorable outcome from the U.S. Supreme Court, which is why I am now calling a special session of the Alabama Legislature,” Ivey said.
The governor noted that if the court-ordered injunction is lifted, the state would immediately revert to using the congressional map drawn by the Legislature in 2023, along with the state Senate map drawn in 2021.
“By calling the Legislature into a special session, I am 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,” she said.
U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell (AL-07) released the following statement regarding Governor Kay Ivey’s announcement of a special session of the Alabama Legislature to dilute the voting power of African American voters:
“Alabama Republicans are wasting no time eliminating representation for African Americans in our state. Despite Black voters making up nearly one-third of Alabama’s electorate, Republican state leaders are desperate to revert us back to a map that silences our voices, dilutes our power, and denies us a fair seat at the table.
“This corrupt move runs counter to everything John Lewis and civil rights leaders marched, fought, and bled for. It threatens to roll back centuries of hard-fought progress and demonstrates exactly why the protections of the Voting Rights Act were needed in the first place.
“The court order barring Alabama from redrawing its map still stands, and our litigating partners are ready to vigorously defend it. We will not take this sitting down. Our communities are prepared to organize, mobilize, and demand the fair representation that we as Alabama voters deserve.
“Bring it on.”
