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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Jewel Wicker and Sam Levine

Alabama’s new congressional map increases power of Black voters

Alabama senate committee discusses a proposal to draw new congressional district lines on 20 July 2023, in Montgomery.
Alabama senate committee discusses a proposal to draw new congressional district lines on 20 July 2023, in Montgomery. Photograph: Kim Chandler/AP

Alabama officially has a new congressional map that will increase the power of Black voters in the state, giving them the chance to elect their preferred candidate in at least two of the state’s seven congressional districts in 2024. The decision could help Democrats secure a majority in the US House next year.

After the US supreme court twice rebuffed Alabama’s request to block drawing an additional district, a three-judge panel chose the new map on Thursday from three proposals offered by Richard Allen, a court-appointed special master. Black voters make up about a quarter of the population in the state, but comprised a majority in just one of the state’s seven congressional districts under the map Republicans adopted.

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