House Pro-Tem Chris Pringle (R-Mobile) told 1819 News recently he'd submitted a congressional map to the special master for his consideration.
The map is the plan that the reapportionment committee initially approved in July but was later changed by Republicans in the state Senate during the special session. The plan that originated in the Senate was ultimately passed into law in the special session and later thrown out by a panel of federal judges last week.
The main difference between the two plans was that Pringle’s plan had a higher black voting age population of about 2.5% in the second congressional district than the plan passed by the Legislature in July.
"I just wanted the court to see there was a serious attempt to draw a plan that complied with the court order. It was the only way I could get the plan before the court," Pringle said.
Dorman Walker, an attorney with Balch and Bingham and the reapportionment committee said in the filing to the special master on Monday, “The Community of Interest Plan was approved by the Reapportionment Committee and passed by the House of Representatives but not by the Senate."
“The Community of Interest Plan complies with the Reapportionment Committee’s Guidelines, preserves important communities of interest identified by the Legislature, complies with the United States and Alabama constitutions and the Voting Rights Act, and has one majority-Black district and one opportunity district in which Black voters have an equal opportunity to elect their candidate of choice,” Walker said in the filing. “The Community of Interest Plan complies with the requirement for a remedial plan that includes “two districts in which Black voters either compromise a voting-age majority or something quite close to it.”
Reapportionment co-chair State Sen. Steve Livingston (R-Scottsboro) didn’t return a request for comment on Wednesday.
New map proposals from the special master are expected by September 25.
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email caleb.taylor@1819News.com.
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