Over Cries of 'White Supremacy,' Alabama OKs New Districts Plan

Alabama lawmakers approved a plan Friday for new US House primaries if courts allow the state to use different congressional districts in this year's elections, sending the legislation to Republican Gov. Kay Ivey, who quickly signed it. The measure is part of a multistate Republican effort to capitalize on the recent US Supreme Court ruling that significantly weakened Voting Rights Act protections for minorities, the AP reports. At the Alabama Statehouse, a chaotic scene erupted as a protester was dragged from the packed House gallery by security officers.

Demonstrators outside the statehouse shouted "fight for democracy" and "down with white supremacy." Betty White Boynton said, "I was out there in 1965 marching for the right to vote, and now we are back here in 2026 doing the same thing." The debate inside also included references to past battles, with Black lawmakers saying the GOP legislation harks back to the state's shameful Jim Crow history. The new law would ignore the May 19 primary results for some congressional seats and direct the governor to schedule a new primary under revised districts, if a court allows it. Lawmakers approved a similar bill related to state Senate districts. "What happened here today is that we were set back as a people to the days of Reconstruction," Democratic Sen. Rodger Smitherman said after the vote.