Voting Map Controversy in Alabama

Recently, the Alabama Republican party faced a critical moment. Last week, U.S. District Judge Anna Manasco halted a ruling that deemed two state Senate districts racially gerrymandered, necessitating changes before the 2026 elections.

For the Republicans, who dominate the state legislature, there seems to be no way out of this predicament. Whatever steps lawmakers take now to appease Manasco are unlikely to alleviate their situation.

It’s not as if they can expect much sympathy. The party has largely brought this upon itself, and they have backing from their national counterparts and even the U.S. Supreme Court.

This predicament arises from utilizing race to shape voting maps while simultaneously issuing court rulings that make it seem like systemic racism is a relic of the past. Mixing all these factors creates a convoluted situation that’s tough to digest and comprehend.

In brief, here’s the scenario: Rep. Algop crafted a racially biased voting map in 2020, concentrating Black voters in specific districts to prevent them from influencing elections elsewhere. No matter how often Republicans try to deny it, this is simply a fact.

To rectify this, Alabama lawmakers must create a new map that divides Senate districts 25 and 26, ensuring that Black voters form a majority in one or more of those areas.

Interestingly, other court rulings have deemed using race to determine voting districts unconstitutional.

So, they’re expected to redraw racist districts without using race to guide that process. Sounds a bit contradictory, doesn’t it?

Oh, and there’s a trial set in Louisiana that might escalate to the U.S. Supreme Court, where arguments about the Voting Rights Act of 1965 could potentially unfold. This is where Alabama’s decision-makers ought to at least focus on fairness, equality, and protecting minority voting rights.

Yes, it’s all fairly perplexing.

But then again, this is Alabama. This isn’t the first time the state has grappled with issues of racial gerrymandering. It’s almost as though no matter how many times they redraw the voting map, they continue to encounter similar problems. Honestly, I wonder why a federal judge had to be brought in to oversee the process in the first place.

Reflecting back, the last time Alabama faced scrutiny from a federal judge was when state lawmakers were called to account for legislative maps last year. The judge had to intervene again after lawmakers refused to follow court orders to create a second majority Black voting district.

One particularly striking moment came from a report highlighting Sen. Steve Livingston’s problematic remarks, referenced across hundreds of pages detailing the behavior of state Republicans. He used racially insensitive language while discussing the mapping efforts, even though he’s currently leading the charge for redistricting.

Manasco was part of the panel that found the maps to be racist, and given the pointed nature of her views, it seems unlikely that she would feel reassured by Livingston’s involvement. And really, she shouldn’t have to feel comfortable about it.

That’s how any reasonable person would feel.

What will unfold next is hard to predict. Alabama Republicans have continually failed to demonstrate fairness, even when guided by a Trump-appointed judge like Manasco. They couldn’t fairly draw the initial map. They ignored Black voters’ concerns and threats of litigation. Even when federal courts ordered revisions, they didn’t comply. And after the Supreme Court weighed in, they also failed to amend the map.

So why expect anything different now?

This issue extends beyond Alabama. One has to wonder why anyone would have faith in this process.

Just consider the absurdity here. A state with a supermajority that blatantly refuses to amend blatantly racist maps, even under federal court orders. These judgments come from a system that has declared race an inappropriate factor in redistricting, alongside a Supreme Court dismissing systemic racism in voting as no longer relevant—all while numerous federal judges cite clear instances of racial gerrymandering that infringe upon the rights of Black voters.

It’s quite the tangled situation they’ve woven for themselves.

And what a predicament they’ve constructed for Alabama Republicans.