Under at least four of those maps, Stone would no longer vote in District 2 instead, she would live in a new majority-Black district. In Alabama, the plaintiffs first had to provide the district court with maps that proved it could be possible to draw either a second majority-Black district or an additional district where Black voters could elect representatives of their choice. Plaintiffs then need to prove that the minority group in question is politically cohesive and typically votes for different candidates than the district’s (usually white) majority.
Gingles, the test requires plaintiffs to draw examples of other maps that wouldn’t dilute minority votes to prove that it’s possible under existing redistricting principles. To win a vote dilution claim under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, plaintiffs must first pass what’s known as the “Gingles test.” Based on the 1986 Supreme Court decision Thornburg v. The plaintiffs argue that the new map illegally “packs” most of the state’s Black voters into the 7th Congressional District and “cracks” the remaining Black voters in Mobile, Montgomery, and the rural Black Belt into Congressional Districts 1, 2, and 3.īoth the Alabama Attorney General’s office and the Alabama Secretary of State’s office declined to comment on pending litigation. Stone, her co-plaintiffs, and the advocacy groups the Alabama State Conference of the NAACP and Greater Birmingham Ministries allege that the state’s redistricting violates Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, which prohibits state governments from limiting voting on the basis of race, including through “vote dilution” by either intentionally carving up communities of color up among districts or squeezing them all into one. But last November, Stone was among the Black Alabamians who sued and challenged that map, arguing it illegally dilutes Black voting power. Under Alabama’s newly drawn congressional map based on the 2020 census, she votes in Congressional District 2. It’s possible Democrats in South Carolina could use the Alabama ruling to secure another seat.Khadidah Stone, 26, has lived in Montgomery, Alabama for most of her life. In addition to Davis, there are two other Black members of Congress from North Carolina: Alma Adams of Charlotte and Valerie Foushee in the 4th District, which covers Durham, Orange and Alamance counties. Supreme Court, the General Assembly will be allowed to redraw them before the next election in 2024.Įxperts have speculated that the GOP will target at least three Democratic lawmakers: Jeff Jackson of Charlotte, Kathy Manning of Greensboro and Wiley Nickel of Cary. North Carolina’s current congressional delegation has seven Democrats and seven Republicans.īut because that map was drawn by special masters appointed by the N.C. Justices Brett Kavanaugh and John Roberts joined the three liberal justices.
The court agreed with that argument in a 5-4 decision. In the Supreme Court case, plaintiffs argued it would be fair under the Voting Rights Act to have at least two majority Black seats, or “opportunity” seats that an African-American candidate might win.
The Cook Political Report Thursday shifted Davis’ seat from a toss-up in 2024 to “lean Democratic.”Īlabama has six congressional seats, with all but one held by Republicans. “I think it does kind of insulate Davis’ district a little more than what a lot of folks were thinking,” Bitzer said. If African-American voters were diluted, North Carolina Republicans could run afoul of the 1965 Voting Rights Act based on the highest court’s recent ruling.Ĭatawba College political science professor Michael Bitzer said the Alabama ruling would likely help Davis - and help the Democrats keep at least four of 14 seats. He won his election in 2022 by nearly 5% against Republican Sandy Smith.īut with North Carolina lawmakers set to draw a new congressional map this summer, some experts thought Davis could be in trouble if the GOP added more white voters to his district.īut the Alabama decision may make it harder for the GOP to target his seat. Don Davis.ĭavis, who is Black, represents a rural district in the northeast part of the state. Supreme Court’s surprise ruling Thursday that Alabama has diluted the power of African-American voters with its congressional map could give a boost to first-term North Carolina Democratic Rep.
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