Southern states redraw voting maps in special sessions

Days after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Louisiana’s current election map violated the U.S. Constitution through racial gerrymandering, Republican leaders in several other Southern states took the precedent as an opportunity to redraw their own maps. Republican lawmakers cited the Supreme Court’s ruling as support for drafting new maps, but opponents raised concerns about black and Democratic representation, as well as the costs of overhauling election plans late in the game.

What happened in Tennessee? Gov. Bill Lee signed a bill Thursday drawing new lines around Memphis to move portions of Democrat-leaning black communities into largely rural Republican congressional districts. The legislature also voted to lift the state’s ban on mid-decade redistricting. State troopers removed protestors who shouted over the hearings and votes. The new map would give Republicans an advantage in all nine congressional districts.

What about Alabama? Republican majorities passed a bill on Friday laying out a plan for scheduling new primaries for its seven U.S. House seats. Even with the governor’s signature, the plan won’t go into effect unless a federal judge lifts an injunction on the drawing of new state maps before 2030.

And in South Carolina? The state House on Thursday sent the state Senate two bills to redraw the congressional map to carve up the state’s lone Democratic district and schedule new House seat primary elections for August. The state’s Senate Judiciary Committee heard public comments on both bills on Friday, and passed the primary elections bill in a 3-2 roll call vote. The full state Senate will reconvene on Tuesday.

How would the South Carolina bill affect absentee ballots already cast? South Carolina’s Election Commission Executive Director Conway Belangia told lawmakers that absentee ballots are being mailed daily, and around 300 have already been filled out and returned. Democratic state Sen. Justin Bamberg pointed out that the bill would prohibit June 9 ballots from being counted, invalidating those already received. Belangia also said the cost to schedule a new election for congressional races in August would range between $2.2 and $2.5 million, with much of the cost falling on counties to pay personnel.

What about Louisiana? Gov. Jeff Landry declared a state of emergency on April 30 to suspend the primary elections for the House of Representatives scheduled for May 16 and June 27, though votes on U.S. Senate and state offices will still take place. The order requires the legislature to schedule a new U.S. House primary election after a new map has been approved.

Dig Deeper: Listen to Mary Reichard’s analysis of the Supreme Court’s ruling in Louisiana v. Callais.