Alabama's Special Election: What's Happening and Why It Matters

Alabama voters go to the polls August 11, 2026, for a special primary election in four congressional districts. The election uses a new map that favors Republicans and removes one of the state's two districts where Black voters make up the majority. The U.S. Supreme Court allowed the state to use this map in a decision on June 2, 2026. (NPR)

The election covers Congressional Districts 1, 2, 6, and 7. Governor Kay Ivey called the election on May 12, 2026, after the state won what she called a major court victory. Ivey said the state will use the legislature's map for the August 11 contests, and there will be no runoff election. That means the candidate who gets the most votes wins outright. (Governor's office; ABC7NY)

The legal fight goes back to a September 7 order from a federal district court in the case Allen v. Milligan. The court appointed a special master — an outside expert who helps a judge carry out specific tasks — to draw three proposed new maps by September 25. That order came after earlier rulings found Alabama's original maps likely broke the Voting Rights Act, a 1965 law that protects minority voters from discrimination. (Congress.gov CRS)

The Supreme Court's June 2 decision stopped the lower court from imposing its own maps. Instead, the high court let Alabama proceed with the legislature-drawn map, which favors Republicans and eliminates one majority-Black district. (Supreme Court opinion; ABC7NY)

Ivey had signed special election bills on May 8, 2026, expecting a favorable court ruling. The state said it would go back to the legislature-drawn maps and that a May 19 primary would still happen. Ivey later pushed the Republican primaries for the four redrawn House districts to August. (Governor's office; Reuters)

Secretary of State Wes Allen runs the special primary. His office set the voter registration deadline for July 27, 2026, and the absentee ballot return deadline for August 4, 2026. Allen's office sent public reminders before both deadlines. (Alabama Secretary of State; Alabama Secretary of State)

NPR reported on August 10 that the redistricting has confused voters. Many are dealing with changed district lines and an election date they did not expect. (NPR)

Redistricting is the process of redrawing the lines that decide which neighborhoods belong to which congressional district. It happens every ten years after the national census. Think of it like rearranging the seating chart in a school cafeteria: the same people are there, but who they sit with changes. In this case, Alabama's legislature drew the map now in use, a federal court tried to substitute its own version through a special master, and the Supreme Court stepped in to allow the legislature's map.

The broader context here is the fight over who gets to draw those maps. The elimination of a majority-Black district under the approved map reverses what earlier courts had ordered in this same case — that Alabama create a second district where Black voters could elect candidates of their choice.

For political operatives, the August 11 primary is the first real test under the new boundaries. Because there is no runoff, winners are determined outright, which shortens the timeline for general election planning. With four districts in play under redrawn lines that favor Republicans, the primary results will show how the new map works in practice, not just in court.