Alabama

Alabama’s congressional and state legislative lines are drawn by the legislature, as a regular statute, subject to gubernatorial veto.

The legislators of the legislative committee with responsibility for redistricting are listed here.

All state court challenges to congressional and state legislative lines flow through the circuit court of Montgomery County; the legislature may alter this practice by statute. [Ala. Code § 29-1-2.5]

Alabama state law does not impose a particular deadline for drawing congressional lines, though candidates must file for congressional primary elections by Jan. 28, 2022. [Ala. Code § 17-13-3, -5]

State legislative lines must be drawn in the first legislative session after the federal Census is conducted; at the moment, the session is scheduled to begin on Feb. 2, 2021, and end on May 18, 2021. [Ala. Const. art. IX, § 199; Ala. Code § 29-1-4] Candidates must file for state legislative primary elections by Jan. 28, 2022. [Ala. Code § 17-13-3, -5]

Alabama prohibits redrawing state legislative district lines mid-decade, before the next Census, but has no similarly explicit prohibition on redrawing congressional lines. [Ala. Const. art. IX, §§ 198, 200]

The legislative redistricting committee has not yet announced any specific plans or guidelines for public input.

Notices for meetings of the committee will be posted here.

Like all states, Alabama must comply with constitutional equal population requirements, and further requires that its state Senate districts be “as nearly equal to each other in the number of inhabitants as may be.” [Ala. Const. art. IX, § 200]

Alabama must also, like all states, abide by the Voting Rights Act and constitutional rules on race.

For state legislative lines, the state constitution requires that districts be contiguous, and that state Senate districts follow county lines except where necessary to comply with other legal requirements.  [Ala. Const. art. IX, § 200].  In 2021, the legislature updated the redistricting guidelines for state and federal districts.

Alabama’s legislature established both the congressional and state legislative maps during a special session in November 2021. The congressional plan (HB 1) was passed on November 3, 2021 and signed by the Governor on November 4, 2021. The state legislative plans (HB 2 for state House districts, SB 1 for state Senate districts) were passed on November 3, 2021 and signed by the Governor on November 4, 2021.

Multiple legal challenges were filed against the congressional plan, the first on November 4, 2021. Those lawsuits are still pending.

A legal challenge to the state legislative plan was filed on November 15, 2021 and is still pending.

Alabama’s legislature drew both congressional and state legislative lines.  The congressional plan (SB 484) was passed on June 2, 2011, signed by the Governor on June 8, 2011, and precleared on Nov. 21, 2011.  The state legislative plan (HB 19 for state House districts, SB 25 for state Senate districts) was passed on May 24, 2012, signed by the Governor on May 31, 2012, and precleared on Oct. 5, 2012.

Challenges to the congressional plan in federal court were rejected.  [Chestnut v. Merrill, 446 F. Supp. 3d 908 (2020)]

The state legislative maps were also challenged in federal court, and on Jan. 20, 2017, on remand from the U.S. Supreme Court, a three-judge federal trial court struck several state House and Senate districts on grounds that they were drawn with an unjustified use of race.  [Alabama Legis. Black Caucus v. Alabama, 575 U.S. 254 (2015); 231 F.Supp.3d 1026 (M.D. Ala. 2017)]

On May 19, 2017, the legislature passed remedial state legislative plans (HB 571 for state House districts, SB 403 for state Senate districts); the plans were signed by the Governor on May 23, 2017, and accepted by the court for use in the 2018 elections and beyond.

Alabama’s legislature drew both congressional and state legislative lines. The congressional plan (SB22) was passed on Jan. 31, 2002, signed by the Governor the same day, and precleared on Mar. 4, 2002.  The state legislative plan (HB1 for state House districts, SB2 for state Senate districts) was passed on July 2, 2001, and signed by the Governor on July 3, 2001; House districts were precleared on Nov. 5, 2001, and Senate districts were precleared on Oct. 15, 2001.

The state legislative plan was challenged in state and federal court, and upheld in both. [Rice v. English, 835 So. 2d 157 (Ala. 2002); Montiel v. Davis, 215 F. Supp. 2d 1279 (S.D. Ala. 2002)]