Perhaps he wasn’t supposed to, but State Rep. Chris England (D-Tuscaloosa) posted the maps being considered by the joint legislative committee on reapportionment on Monday.
England told his followers they now had everything he had, which will be considered later on Tuesday. If approved, it is expected the committee would release a more detailed map to the public.
You now have everything that I have. This is what the committee will consider tomorrow at 1. If I get anything else, perhaps something more detailed and easier to read, I will share it with you. #alpolitics #Alabama #redistricting #SpecialSession2021 #reapportionment
— Chris England (@RepEngland70) October 25, 2021
1) Proposed congressional districts:
Proposed Congressional district map with underlying population demographic information. #alpolitics #Alabama #redistricting #SpecialSession2021 #reapportionment pic.twitter.com/lGd2czShKf
— Chris England (@RepEngland70) October 25, 2021
Click here for larger map
There aren’t very many surprises here. Alabama dodged a bullet earlier this year with the announcement the state would keep all seven of its seats in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Still, there have been population shifts that will cause some changes, especially in the fifth and seventh congressional districts.
Alabama’s fifth congressional district will now include only half of Lauderdale County while maintaining all of Limestone, Madison, Jackson and Morgan Counties. U.S. Rep. Robert Aderholt’s (R-Haleyville) fourth congressional district will pick up the western half of Lauderdale, and with it, much of Florence, putting the Quad Cities of the Shoals all in the same congressional district.
The third congressional district, represented by U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Saks), will lose a portion of Montgomery County but keep intact roughly the rest of the existing third district.
Homewood and a portion of Hoover will now be in the seventh congressional district, represented by U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell (D-Birmingham), as that district has lost population over the past decade.
Alabama’s first congressional district, represented by U.S. Rep. Jerry Carl of Mobile, will no longer include any of Clarke County, which will go to Sewell in its entirety.
2) Proposed State Senate districts:
Proposed Alabama Senate District map with underlying population demographic information. #alpolitics #Alabama #redistricting #SpecialSession2021 #reapportionment pic.twitter.com/kOSSzcnoIZ
— Chris England (@RepEngland70) October 25, 2021
Click here for larger map
There are a few new interesting wrinkles to note. State Sen. Vivian Figures (D-Mobile) will pick up new constituents in Baldwin County.
Under this proposal, Figures’ Senate District 33 will now reach across the Mobile Bay to include Spanish Fort. It was widely anticipated that State Sens. Chris Elliott (R-Daphne) and Greg Albritton (R-Atmore) would keep Baldwin County in its entirety, assuming they win reelection in 2022.
However, should the legislature proceed with this proposal, Baldwin County will have a third state senator.
Residents in Lamar County could also have new representation in the Alabama Senate. State Senate Pro Tem Greg Reed’s (R-Jasper) State Senate District 5 will now include Lamar County, as State Senate District 21, represented by State Sen. Gerald Allen (R-Tuscaloosa), shrinks.
State Sens. Garlan Gudger (R-Cullman) and Larry Stutts (R-Tuscumbia) will also run for reelection in slightly different districts if the legislature passes the proposed maps. State Senate Districts 4 and 6 will swap counties. District 6 will now include Lawrence County, and District 4 will consist of Marion County.
Tighter districts also appear to have been drawn for booming Madison County. Five state senators will now represent Madison County, down from the previous six. State Senate District 1, currently represented by State Sen. Tim Melson (R-Florence), now ends at the Limestone-Madison County line.
Under this map, State Sen. Tom Butler’s (R-Madison) State Senate District 2 is much smaller, which could change the partisan lean and make it one of the few newly drawn competitive districts in Alabama.
3) Proposed State House districts:
Proposed Alabama House district map with underlying population demographic information. #alpolitics #Alabama #redistricting #SpecialSession2021 #reapportionment pic.twitter.com/FIA9wwdDRt
— Chris England (@RepEngland70) October 25, 2021
Click here for larger map
The State House map is obviously one of the trickier maps for the redistricting committee to draw. Think of it as 105 puzzle pieces with populations ranging between 45,000 and 50,000.
A closer look at the proposal reveals the Baldwin County delegation picking up two new members as House District 102 and 65, represented by State Reps. Shane Stringer (R-Citronelle) and Brett Easterbrook (R-Fruitdale), now included in Baldwin County.
Tighter districts will be the reality in Madison County under this map because as the population grows, the districts get smaller.
State Rep. Charlotte Meadows’ (R-Montgomery) House District 74 also appears it would undergo a significant shift that would alter its partisan lean, as some had reported.
Throughout the state, with the exception of the more populated counties, the committee gave its best effort to honor county lines where possible.
@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.
