Republicans sought to redraw congressional district maps to improve prospects in upcoming midterm elections. In Alabama, a three-judge federal panel blocked a new map that would eliminate one of the state’s two districts with major Black populations. The panel said voters could not be required to cast ballots in 2026 under a districting plan tainted by intentional race-based discrimination. Alabama Republicans said they would appeal to the US Supreme Court. In South Carolina, Republicans and Democrats together rejected a new map that would redraw a district held by Congressman James Clyburn. Early voting in the June 9 primary was already underway when legislators voted on the map. Districting has historically been used to disenfranchise Black voters, and recent Supreme Court changes encouraged additional map redrawing.
"A three-judge federal panel blocked Republicans in Alabama from moving forward with a new map that would eliminate one of the state's two districts with major Black populations. Ultimately, we cannot see our way clear to requiring Alabamians to cast their votes in the 2026 elections under a districting plan tainted by intentional race-based discrimination, the panel wrote. Republican officials in Alabama, which had previously postponed scheduled primary elections for four congressional seats to draw up new maps, have said that they will appeal Tuesday's decision to the US Supreme Court."
"Several Republican lawmakers in South Carolina separately joined with Democrats to shoot down a new map that would redraw a district held by the powerful Congressman James Clyburn, a Black Democrat who has been in office for more than 30 years. Early voting in the June 9 primary was already taking place when state legislators were voting on the new map on Tuesday. Neither my conscience nor my common sense will allow me to stop an election that is already underway, local news outlets quoted Republican state Senator Richard Cash as saying."
"The design of congressional district maps is a fraught issue in the United States, where it has historically served as a key tool of efforts to disenfranchise Black voters in states with records of segregation. Republicans have pushed for years to loosen rules put in place to safeguard against such practices, an effort that was recently boosted by a Supreme Court ruling. The ruling, hailed by Trump as a big win, prompted a dash by several Republican-led states to redraw their maps in time."
Read at www.aljazeera.com
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