Redrawing Senate districts: What does it mean?
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Bridging the Divide
Chuck Bradley
Recently a federal court ordered Alabama to redraw its state Senate districts in the Montgomery area because the court found they illegally dilute the voting power of Black citizens, thus violating the Voting Rights Act.
The court found that current lines “pack” Black voters into one district and “extract” them from others, preventing them from electing their preferred candidates.
Alabama must now create a new map for these districts, or the court will draw the map itself, ensuring the court’s interpretation of a fairer representation for Black voters in the 2026 elections.
A 2021 lawsuit argued that Alabama’s 2021 state Senate map diluted the voting strength of Black citizens in Huntsville and Montgomery. A federal judge ruled in August 2025 that the Senate districts in Montgomery do violate Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act.
The ruling found that Black voters in the Montgomery area are given less opportunity to elect their preferred candidate than other voters.
The goal is to create a map where Black voters have a fair chance to elect candidates of their choice. The ruling is a significant victory for Black voters and the protection of voting rights.
It ensures that Black communities in Montgomery should have a more equal opportunity to have their voices heard in electing their state Senate representatives.
The ruling reinforces the principles of the Voting Rights Act, which prohibits racial discrimination in voting.
Every Alabama Senate district will not see a change. The federal judge ruled that the state must redraw Senate districts 25 and 26, which cover the Montgomery area, because those districts violated the Voting Rights Act by diluting the voting power of Black residents. The ruling specifically targets a section of the state to address discriminatory redistricting, leaving other districts, such as those in Huntsville, intact.
What the Ruling Means for Alabama Senate Districts: Only Senate districts 25 and 26, located in the Montgomery area, are required to be redrawn. Districts outside of the Montgomery region, including those in Huntsville, were not part of the ruling and will remain as they are, at least for now.
The Alabama Legislature has a deadline to submit its own plan to redraw the affected districts. If the Legislature fails to submit an acceptable plan, the court may appoint a Special Master to draw the new districts.
In essence, this is a corrective action to ensure fair representation for Black voters in the specified Senate districts, not a statewide overhaul of the Senate map.
The federal court order mandating Alabama to redraw its state Senate districts has a deadline of November 17, 2025, for the new map to be in place for the May 2026 primaries.
On August 22, 2025, U.S. District Judge Anna Manasco ruled that Alabama’s 2021 state Senate map illegally diluted the voting power of Black residents in the Montgomery area. This mirrors a previous ruling against the state’s congressional maps.
Required action: The court ordered the creation of a new map that includes another district in the Montgomery area where Black voters have a “voting-age majority or something quite close to it.”
On August 29, Judge Manasco also ordered Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen to report by September 4, whether the Legislature plans to redraw the districts. Allen had already stated his intent to appeal the ruling.
Until next week, please send your questions or comments to bradleychuck92@gmail.com.
