LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS RESPONDS TO SUPREME COURT DECISION TO UPHOLD ALABAMA’S GERRYMANDERED CONGRESSIONAL MAPS

WASHINGTON & MONTGOMERY—Today the League of Women Voters of the United States CEO Virginia Kase Solomón and the League of Women Voters of Alabama President Kathy Jones issued the following statements on the Supreme Court decision failing to rein in racial gerrymandering by allowing the Alabama congressional maps to stay in place. 

“The Supreme Court’s decision to allow the Alabama congressional maps that were previously ruled unlawful is shameful and deeply disappointing,” said League of Women Voters CEO Virginia Kase Solomón. “The federal court saw the reality of these maps — a dilution of voting power for Black Alabamians and the long-ranging impact this plan will have for the next decade. This is a classic example of race-based gerrymandering that is in violation of the Voting Rights Act. This is what happens when there are no set federal criteria for how maps are drawn and no Voting Rights Act to provide adequate protections for targeted communities.”

Alabama voting rights organizations, including the League, fought for transparency and accountability throughout the redistricting process. And when the state failed to be transparent in its process of drawing maps, the League worked with coalition partners such as the ACLU, NAACP Legal Defense Fund, and others to create hearings for public input to share in the legislative process, but to no avail. 

“Alabama voters deserve fair maps to ensure that each person’s vote counts equally,” said League of Women Voters of Alabama President Kathy Jones. “The current congressional map preserves a longstanding racial gerrymander, which effectively silences the voices of a large number of our state’s citizens and makes it easier for elected leaders to ignore their constituents. The Supreme Court’s decision to stay the lower court’s decision means that the 2022 elections will proceed with maps that violate the Voting Rights Act. The League encourages the Northern District of Alabama’s three-judge panel to swiftly complete adjudication of the Singleton v Merrill complaint, which claims that the Alabama Congressional map violates the US Constitution 14th Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause. The fight is not over and we stand in solidarity with voters.”

We hope voters in Alabama turn out in record numbers for the primary on May 24 and let their voices be heard, despite these racist maps that aim to silence the voices of the Black community. The deadline to register to vote in Alabama is May 9. We encourage all voters to check out the League’s VOTE411 and the Secretary of State’s website AlabamaVotes.gov to learn more about upcoming elections and deadlines. 

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PRESS CONTACT: Shannon Augustus | 202-768-9578 | [email protected]