State Sen. McClendon: Expect proposed redistricting maps released to public on October 27

Alabamians will get their first official glimpse at new proposed redistricting maps later this month, according to State Sen. Jim McClendon (R-Springville), the co-chairman of the Alabama Legislature reapportionment committee.

During an interview with FM Talk 106.5’s “The Jeff Poor Show,” McClendon explained once the maps were approved by the committee, they would be posted online, which would come on the eve of the reported special session called by Gov. Kay Ivey.

“We don’t have anything final to show anybody, except legislators to help them to draw their districts until it comes out of the redistricting committee,” he said. “That committee will meet two days prior to the special session. The committee will meet and make a decision on the four different maps, and it’ll be a vote of the 22 members of that committee. They’ll pick four different maps, and those are the maps that will be dropped in the hopper and start the process for the legislature.”

“On [October] 27, those maps will be posted,” McClendon continued. “They’ll be online and easily accessible for anyone that wants to see them. And they’ll be able to zoom in with them. It’s a mighty effort to get all that done quickly, but that’s what the plan is. What comes out of the redistricting committee — once it comes out of that committee, it will be in bill form, and it will be in the public record and available to anyone who wants to take a look at it. And what they will see is the maps that will be introduced in the House and the Senate, and those are the maps that will start the process.”

The St. Clair County Republican lawmaker said there was still work underway but expected to have a final product the body would be “happy with.”

“Right now, we’re solving problems and resolving conflicts,” McClendon added. “We’ll come forward with four maps that we feel like we’ve got the agreement on that legislators are happy with. It doesn’t do any good to come forward with maps legislators are unhappy with because they won’t get the vote if the maps won’t come out. We’re working in that direction. We’re beginning to work feverishly to get there to resolve the problems, but that’s what our job is.”

@Jeff_Poor is a graduate of Auburn University and the University of South Alabama, the editor of Breitbart TV, a columnist for Mobile’s Lagniappe Weekly, and host of Mobile’s “The Jeff Poor Show” from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. on FM Talk 106.5.