Some prominent Alabama Republican politicians are advocating that the Alabama legislature be called into special session to redraw the U.S. House district boundaries. See this story.
If Alabama does that, a reported U.S. District Court precedent, Hall v Bennett, 212 F Supp 3d 1148, says that the state must reduce the number of signatures for minor party and independent candidates, because the normal two years for petitioning would not be available.
On April 29, the legislature passed HB 1D, which draws new U.S. House districts. Governor Ron DeSantis is certain to sign the measure. Florida law has easier petitions in lieu of filing fee in redistricting years. Only 2,564 signatures are needed for U.S. House, and they can be collected anywhere in the state. However, petitions in lieu are due May 11, 2026.
It is likely the new districts will be challenged in court. It may be possible to sue for more time on the in-lieu petition. The filing fee for U.S. House is over $10,000, so the in-lieu petition this year is a bargain, relatively speaking.
The bill passed 83-28 in the House, and 21-17 in the Senate. Some Republican Senators opposed the bill.
The New Republic has this story about the Working Families Party and its national platform.
On April 28, the Missouri Senate Local Government, Elections & Pensions Committee heard testimony on HB2387/2480, the bill to bring back presidential primaries. The bill has already passed the House.
See this story. The Committee did not vote on the bill and it is difficult to predict what will happen when they do vote.
Today, the US Supreme Court ruled in a 6-3 decision that Louisiana put too much emphasis on race in drawing a US House districts map that included a second Majority Minority district. The decision has national implications and is thought to further weaken the Voting Rights Act. Here is the Opinion in Louisiana v Callais, 24-109.
Here is a story from CBS News.
Here is an analysis from Rick Hasen, election law professor and founder of the ElectionLawBlog.
As a result of this decision and some other decisions, we now have a national interpretation that it is constitutional for state legislatures to favor one particular party when they draw districts. Yet it is unconstitutional for legislatures to draw districts to enable racial and ethnic minorities to win a number of seats in proportion to their share of the electorate.
