The Supreme Court’s ruling that Alabama’s congressional map violates the Voting Rights Act could lead to new Democratic-leaning districts in several states and influence the battle for control of the House next year.
The ruling said Alabama had to create another district where Black voters could influence the election, but there is similar pending litigation in other southern states. In a narrowly divided Congress, it could also add to the relatively small number of competitive races by breaking up what were once safe GOP seats.
Alabama Rep. Terri A. Sewell, the state’s only Democrat in Congress, said she expected the new lines would be in place for the 2024 election, but also raised the possibility of a special election with a new map before then.
