Alabama Legislature Passes Bill for New Congressional Primaries

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama lawmakers on Friday passed legislation that would establish a framework for new U.S. House primaries if courts allow the state to adopt a different congressional map for the November midterm elections. The bill, known as SB 1, directs the governor to schedule a new primary that would replace results from the May 19 election for affected congressional seats.

Republican Gov. Kay Ivey signed the measure into law shortly after its passage. The legislation also includes a similar provision for state Senate districts.

The new law would take effect only if courts lift an existing injunction that requires a second district where Black voters make up a majority or close to it. That court-selected map has been in place since it produced results in the 2024 elections.

The legislation would apply until after the 2030 census. The Alabama action occurred one day after Tennessee enacted new congressional districts. The bill was approved during a special session. State Sen. J. T. Waggoner participated in debate on the bill earlier in the week.

Democratic state Sen. Rodger Smitherman said after the vote, “What happened here today is that we were set back as a people to the days of Reconstruction.” Senate Democrats shouted “hell no” and “stop the steal” during the proceedings.