Get ready for some political shake-ups! States like Alabama and Tennessee are redrawing voting districts after a Supreme Court decision. This means your vote might count a little differently in future elections.
At a glance
Declining — being discussed less frequently. 0 mentions in the last 30 days, 3 the 60 before.
This could change how your tax dollars are represented, but there's no direct cost to you.
Politicians and parties who can strategize to gain more seats will benefit.
Voters in areas where districts are significantly altered could see their representation diluted or changed.
<p>Alabama lawmakers have approved a plan for new U.S. House primaries if courts allow the state to use different congressional districts in this year’s elections. Republican Gov. Kay Ivey signed the measure into law Friday shortly after the legislature approved it. The action came on the same day that the Virginia Supreme Court dealt a major setback to Democrats by overturning a redistricting plan that could have helped Democrats win as many as four additional House seats. The Alabama law could set aside the results of the May 19 primaries, if courts lift an injunction requiring it to use a map with two districts that have large Black populations.</p>
<p>The U.S. Supreme Court has escalated a nationwide redistricting war by removing one of the few remaining limits on partisan gerrymandering. The decision gutted a key provision of the Voting Rights Act that affected how states draw congressional maps, a powerful tool for influencing elections. Redistricting conflicts are exacerbating a winner-take-all style of politics that has strained American democracy in recent years. There has been extreme rhetoric, political violence and attempts to reshape elections. The rules and norms that once helped smooth over an unruly country’s vast differences have given way to a race for power at all costs.</p>
<p>A Supreme Court decision striking down a majority Black congressional district in Louisiana has amplified an already intense national redistricting battle. The court's ruling Wednesday limits the use of race in drawing voting districts. In response, Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry has suspended the state's May 16 congressional primary to allow time for state lawmakers to draw new House districts. Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey has called a special session to start Monday in case the Supreme Court allows the state to change its U.S. House districts, and Tennessee's Republican governor is calling a session starting Tuesday to do the same there.</p>
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