Alabama committee advances bill to allow special elections under 2023 congressional map amid protests over racial dilution and cost

The Alabama House Ways and Means General Fund Committee gave a favorable report to House Bill 1 on a voice vote after a public hearing in which supporters said the bill creates a mechanism for special elections, and opponents warned it would return a map previously found to dilute Black voting strength.

Representative Chris Pringle, the bill’s sponsor, told the committee HB1 "deals solely with a special election" and would allow the state to hold elections under the congressional map the legislature approved in 2023 if a federal court lifts its injunction. "All this bill does is provide an opportunity for the citizens in the affected districts to cast their vote for the candidate that they're choosing," Pringle said.

The bill drew extended questioning from committee members about its legal footing and timing. Members repeatedly referenced a prior understanding that Alabama would not adopt new congressional maps until 2030 and asked how a recent change in courts’ Section 2 jurisprudence would affect that agreement. Pringle said the measure is contingent on court rulings and that the courts will decide whether the injunction is lifted.

Public commenters framed the measure as a threat to representation for Black Alabamians. Jamaal Brown said the 2023 map was rejected under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act for diluting Black voting power and called returning to it "a slap in the face" to decades of civil-rights struggle. "We want to see people that look like us," Brown said, naming local Black members he said should remain electable under fair maps.

Other witnesses made similar appeals. Eliza Jane Franklin recounted long-term suppression in Barbour County and said weakened voting protections have immediate consequences. Pastor Richard Williams described the debate as a question of how power is wielded and urged lawmakers to prioritize mental health and other community needs ahead of revisiting maps. Jacoby Bibbs, a University of Alabama student, urged lawmakers to consider how weakening Section 2 standards could produce durable damage to public trust in elections.

Committee members also raised practical and fiscal questions. A fiscal note cited during the hearing estimated a one-time special-election cost of roughly $4.5 million to be borne by the general fund, prompting concerns from members who said other services — including mental-health programs — face funding shortages.

Sponsor Pringle and other proponents maintained that HB1 does not change any district lines itself and only authorizes the Secretary of State to run a special election under the previously enacted plan if courts allow it. Several members said that argument understates the practical effect: if the injunction is lifted, votes already cast in affected congressional districts would be nullified and replaced by the special-election process described by the sponsor.

Representative Givan, speaking during the public hearing, said the combined effect of HB1 and the related 2023 plan would realign seats currently held by people of color, naming incumbents she said represent marginalized communities. Opponents asked the committee to pause and consider longer-term legal and civic consequences before advancing the mechanism.

Representative Witt moved to give HB1 a favorable report; the committee recorded the motion and then adopted the recommendation in a voice vote. The chair announced the bill "receives a favorable report" and the committee adjourned.

The committee action forwards HB1 in the legislative process; its legal effect would depend on future court rulings about the injunction and on whether the federal courts ultimately permit elections under the 2023 map.