A federal court blocked Alabama’s legislature-drawn congressional map after finding intentional racial discrimination and required continued use of a court-approved map containing two districts where Black voters have a meaningful opportunity to elect preferred candidates. Alabama is appealing to the Supreme Court. The dispute follows years of litigation over whether the state’s district lines unlawfully weakened Black voting power despite Black residents making up more than one-quarter of the population. Vote dilution occurs when district lines or election rules weaken a group’s ability to elect representatives compared with its share and geographic concentration. A map can give everyone a ballot and still make some communities’ votes count for less. Districts should reflect real communities without using race as either a weapon or an excuse.
What should Alabama’s congressional map protect most clearly?