What you need to know | #elections | #alabama

WE VOTE IN OUR STATE. TODAY IS THE FIRST DEADLINE STATE LAWMAKERS FACE AS THEY WORK TO REDRAW THE STATE’S CONGRESSIONAL MAP. SO WE’RE WORKING TO HELP YOU GET THE FACTS ABOUT WHY THIS IS HAPPENING, WHAT THIS MEANS FOR YOU, AND WHAT THIS COULD MEAN FOR THE BALANCE OF POWER IN WASHINGTON. FIRST UP, SOME BACKGROUND ON WHY LAWMAKERS ARE REDRAWING THE MAP THIS SUMMER. THIS IS THE CURRENT CONGRESSIONAL MAP FOR ALABAMA. IT WAS DRAWN UP AFTER THE MOST RECENT CENSUS COMPLETED IN 2020. AFTER EACH CENSUS, THE UPDATED POPULATION FOR A STATE IS USED TO DETERMINE THE NUMBER OF REPRESENTATIVES THE STATE GETS IN CONGRESS. SO HERE IN ALABAMA, BASED ON OUR POPULATION, WE HAVE SEVEN CONGRESSIONAL REPRESENTATIVE ELECTED FROM THE SEVEN CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICTS SPREAD THROUGHOUT THE STATE. BUT EARLIER THIS YEAR, THE US SUPREME COURT SAID THE CURRENT DISTRICT MAP THAT ALABAMA STATE LAWMAKERS CAME UP WITH DOESN’T WORK. WHAT HAPPENS SOMETIMES IS THAT THE DISTRICTS GET DRAWN EITHER IN WAYS THAT BENEFIT A PARTY. WE CALL THAT PARTIZAN GERRYMANDER OR MAYBE BENEFIT ONE RACE OVER ANOTHER. RACIAL GERRYMANDERING, POLITICAL ANALYST DR. MARISSA GRAYSON EXPLAINS THE SUPREME COURT DETERMINED THAT THE WAY THE LINES WERE DRAWN VIOLATES SECTION TWO OF THE VOTING RIGHTS ACT. THE SECTION THERE TO PROTECT RACIAL MINORITIES FROM NOT HAVING A VOICE. WE HAVE ONE DISTRICT WHERE WE CALL IT COMPACTING, WHERE WE HAVE CREATED ONE MINORITY MAJORITY DISTRICT, THAT IS TERRY SEWELL’S DISTRICT. AND JUST HAVING ONE OF THOSE DISTRICTS IS NOT REPRESENTATIVE OF ALABAMA, AND OUR DISTRICTS ARE SUPPOSED TO BE. SO IN ALABAMA, THERE’S ABOUT 25% OF VOTING WHO ARE BLACK AND THAT THERE’S ONE DISTRICT WHERE THEY REPRESENTED IN ABOUT 27% OF THE POPULATION IS BLACK. SO LAWMAKERS HAVE BEEN TOLD BY THE NATION’S HIGHEST COURT IN A54 DECISION TO REWORK THE MAP, DR. GRAYSON SAYS THE OUTCOME OF THIS PROCESS COULD MEAN TWO RACIAL MINORITY DISTRICTS IN ALABAMA, MEANING MORE REPRESENTATION FOR THE BLACK POPULATION IN OUR STATE. SHE ALSO NOTED THAT OTHER SOUTHERN STATES ARE KEEPING A CLOSE EYE ON THIS PROCESS. AS WE NEAR ANOTHER ELECTION CYCLE IN 2024. AND THE BALANCE OF POWER IS ONCE AGAIN ON THE LINE. THIS COURT DECISION AND THE CHANGE IN ALABAMA MOST LIKELY TO SEE A POPULATED DISTRICT THAT TENDS TO VOTE DEMOCRAT CAN BE WHAT SWAYS THE HOUSE IN FAVOR OF DEMOCRATS OVER REPUBLICANS. IN TERMS OF WHERE WE SIT TODAY WITH THE CURRENT MAP IN USE, ALABAMA CURRENTLY HAS SIX REPUBLICANS AND ONE DEMOCRAT IN THE HOUSE. ALL RIGHT. SO LET ME WALK YOU THROUGH EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENS NEXT. AGAIN, TODAY AT 5:00, THAT WAS THE DEADLINE FOR THOSE PROPOSALS TO BE DUE TO THE COMMITTEE NEXT WEEK ON JULY 13TH. THERE’S GOING TO BE A PUBLIC HEARING AGAIN. YOU’RE GOING TO GET TO WEIGH IN ON THIS. THAT’S NEXT THURSDAY. BUT THE DEADLINE TO HAVE THIS FINISHED, THAT’S