Speaker of the House Nathaniel Ledbetter, R-Rainsville, announced the House members appointed to serve on the Permanent Legislative Committee on Reapportionment on Tuesday.
The House appointees are:
- Cynthia Almond, R-Tuscaloosa
- Barbara Boyd, D-Anniston
- Jim Carns, R-Birmingham
- Steve Clouse, R-Ozark
- Corley Ellis, R-Columbiana
- Chris England, D-Tuscaloosa
- Laura Hall, D-Huntsville
- Sam Jones, D-Mobile
- Joe Lovvorn, R-Auburn
- Chris Pringle, R-Mobile
- Rex Reynolds, R-Huntsville
They will join the following senators appointed to the committee:
- Will Barfoot, R-Pike Road
- Lance Bell, R-Pell City
- Donnie Chesteen, R-Geneva
- Vivian Figures, D-Mobile
- Steve Livingston, R-Scottsboro
- Arthur Orr, R-Decatur,
- Dan Roberts, R-Mountain Brook
- Clay Scofield, R-Guntersville
- Bobby Singleton, D-Greensboro
- Rodger Smitherman, D-Birmingham
- Jack Williams, R-Mobile
The 22-member committee will replace the current six-member committee, which includes Hall, Pringle, Livingston, Roberts, and Singleton.
The Permanent Legislative Committee on Reapportionment is responsible for drawing districts for the U.S. House of Representatives, the Alabama House of Representatives, and the Alabama Senate. They normally meet every ten years, following a census, but this committee will meet during the summer for a special session.
The Supreme Court decision on Allen v. Milligan, handed down on June 8, requires Alabama to redraw congressional districts by July 21. The court found the map set in 2020 violates the Voting Rights Act by improperly diluting Black voting power. The majority decision authored by Chief Justice John Roberts specifically objects to Alabama’s “race-neutral” districting criteria, arguing it violates Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act guarantees citizens the right to vote “on account of race or color.”
The Legislature must pass new maps drawn by the committee during a special session next Month. The maps must satisfy a federal court in a hearing scheduled for August, giving candidates in the 2024 General Election a short window, until Nov. 10, to qualify and be certified by their parties.
