Governor Kay Ivey announced changes Tuesday morning to the August 11 special primary election calendar, establishing a 5 p.m. qualifying deadline for four congressional districts under the court-ordered remedial map.
Ivey said in the announcement that she remains hopeful the Supreme Court will stay the lower court’s injunction against the state’s 2023 map. If the Supreme Court grants that stay, Ivey said, the August 11 primaries will use the 2023 map. Unless and until that decision comes, the congressional races will be based on the remedial map, even though those same races were held during the May 19 primaries.
The state did not validate the May 19 results while it sought the chance to use its preferred map, creating a situation in which voters will have to return to the polls to vote in the same races.
Ivey’s announcement holds out hope for relief from the Supreme Court but does not address how the state would administer the reassignment of voters, which closes sometime Tuesday.
