Alabamians, Organizations React as Gov. Kay Ivey Signs House Bill 1 and Senate Bill 1
MONTGOMERY — Alabama Governor Kay Ivey has signed House Bill 1 and Senate Bill 1.
These bills would allow the governor to call a special election in congressional and state senate districts if ongoing redistricting legislation passes.
“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,” Ivey said in a statement. “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.”
According to a statement from Ivey’s office, “…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.”
Several officials and organizations have reacted to these redistricting plans.
Southern Poverty Law Center:
In response to the Louisiana v. Callais decision, the Alabama Legislature held a special legislative session this week where lawmakers voted to delay certain primary elections, with the intention of paving the way to dissolve districts where Black communities have the most voting power.
Alabama is currently awaiting a decision from the U.S. Supreme Court as to whether the state is allowed to use a previous map that violated the 14th Amendment. The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) denounced these changes to the election schedule and these efforts to dilute the power of Black voters, who deserve the opportunity to elect candidates of their own choosing.
‘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.’”
The Alabama Republican Party:
“We applaud Governor Kay Ivey, Senate President Pro Tem Garlan Gudger, Attorney General Steve Marshall, Secretary of State Wes Allen, and Speaker Ledbetter for their quick action and steadfast commitment to defending the interests of the people of Alabama. We also thank Senator Chris Elliott and Representative Chris Pringle for sponsoring this important legislation.
‘We appreciate the unified efforts of Alabama’s Republican leadership to protect fair representation for our state,’ said Alabama Republican Party Chairman Scott Stadthagen.
As we move forward, the Alabama Republican Party remains optimistic about the future of our state and excited for the opportunities ahead for the people of Alabama. We look forward to keeping our state moving in the right direction.”
National Democratic Redistricting Committee President John Bisognano:
“Despite remaining under a court order that bars Alabama from redrawing its congressional map and that voters have already cast ballots in the state’s congressional primary elections, Alabama Republicans are desperately and shamelessly moving to pave the way for reversion to a map that robs Black voters of equal access to representation in the U.S. House.
What is happening in Alabama is not happening in a vacuum. Across the South, states are rushing to suppress Black voting power now that they mistakenly believe they can get away with it. The Alabama legislature’s fevered rush to diminish Black voting power in their state is clear proof that protections once afforded under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act remain vital still today. Alabamians across the state are rising up in protest to this immoral power grab — their voices must not be silenced.”
Alabama Arise:
“This special session was an affront to inclusive democracy and basic fairness, and it was a clear example of our policymakers’ misplaced priorities. Just days before Alabama’s primary election, our legislative leaders hurried to pass bills that would dilute Black Alabamians’ voting power. These new laws threaten to erode representation and engagement of all communities.
“What lawmakers choose to prioritize shows what matters to them. Alabama legislators have declined for years to take action to close our state’s health coverage gap, or to expand access to public transportation and affordable housing. Instead of making needed investments to improve the quality of life for every Alabamian, our lawmakers rushed back to Montgomery for an outrageous 11th-hour redistricting effort that came after some voters already had cast absentee ballots in the upcoming primary. The estimated cost of these special elections, if they occur, is more than $5 million out of the General Fund.
“This special session and the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that prompted it both underscore the vital need for people across Alabama to show up and vote in the upcoming 2026 elections, including the May 19 primary. Alabama Arise will continue to work alongside advocates across our state to defend and expand voting rights, both this year and in the years to come.
“We will continue advocating for policies to reduce hunger and hardship. We will continue advocating to ensure people have the resources they need to secure a happy and healthy future. And we will continue advocating together to build a better, more inclusive Alabama for all.”
State Representative Juandalynn Givan:
“Today, the Alabama Republican supermajority in the House of Representatives made their intentions painfully clear. By passing House Bill 1 and Senate Bill 1, they have once again shown the people of Alabama — and especially Black Alabamians — that they are willing to bend, rewrite, and manipulate the rules of democracy itself in order to hold onto political power.
Let us be clear: these bills are not about election integrity. They are not about transparency. They are not about protecting voters. They are about preserving white political control at all cost, even when the courts, the Constitution, and the people themselves have demanded fairness.”
Senator Chris Elliot:
“This successful special session injected a strong dose of common sense back into Alabama’s legislative elections, and playing a major part is one of my proudest accomplishments. The bill that I sponsored during the special session this week allows Alabama to hold elections under the constitutional maps that were passed by the Legislature in 2021 and improperly overturned by the courts.
The Supreme Court’s Louisiana v. Callais decision opens the door to right a judicial wrong and allow us to use district maps that were drawn by Alabamians, not by federal judges, and we were wise to go into session and use that opportunity.”
House Bill 1 can be read in full here: HB1-int
Senate Bill 1 can be read in full here: SB1-int
Now Scales will face Birmingham City Councilor Clinton Woods in the May 19 Democratic Primary.
Woods, the grandson of Baptist minister and Civil Rights leader Calvin Woods, managed Mark Pettway’s successful campaign for Jefferson County Sheriff in the 2018 election and holds degrees from University of Tennessee-Chattanooga and University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB).
Mark Pettway made history in 2018 when he was elected Jefferson County’s first Black sheriff. After besting three opponents in the Primary, he retained his seat when he ran for re-election in 2022. Now Pettway will face two challengers in the May 19 Democratic Primary: former Birmingham Police detective Chris Anderson and former Jefferson County Deputy Jude Washington. Jacob Reach is the only Republican candidate for sheriff.
Chris Anderson is known by some as “Mr. First 48.” The former Birmingham police detective has appeared on The First 48, a long-running true crime documentary that debuted on A&E in 2004. The series, which shot several episodes in Birmingham, tracks real-life homicide detectives as they work through the crucial first hours of murder investigations.
Jude Washington served at the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office from 1995 to 2024 across various divisions including Jail Corrections, the DUI Task Force and the Domestic Violence Task Force.
