The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (“LDF”), Alabama State Conference of the NAACP, American Civil Liberties Union (“ACLU”), Greater Birmingham Ministries and ACLU of Alabama sent a letter to the Alabama Legislative Reapportionment Office to remind the committee of its obligation to comply with the U.S. Constitution and Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act during the post-2020 reapportionment and redistricting cycle.

Specifically, the groups stated that the Legislature must ensure that new maps:

  • Are not drawn with the intent or effect of diluting minority voting strength;
  • Comply with the “One Person, One Vote” mandate of the Fourteenth Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause and Section 2’s “nationwide ban on racial discrimination in voting,” without using either as a pretext to engage in racial gerrymandering; and
  • Preserve any effective districts that are VRA-compliant and also consider whether additional effective opportunity districts are required.

The legislature must ensure that electoral maps are fairly drawn and Black Alabamans have the opportunity to elect candidates of their choice and participate in the political process. According to 2020 Census data, nearly 28% of Alabama’s residents identify as Black, either alone or as part of a multi-racial identity. An additional majority-minority opportunity district, which Section 2 likely requires, would provide Black voters with representation to address the state’s pervasive and ongoing record of inequality of opportunity in various aspects of life.

Read the full letter here.

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Founded in 1940, the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF) is the nation’s first civil and human rights law organization. LDF has been completely separate from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) since 1957—although LDF was originally founded by the NAACP and shares its commitment to equal rights. LDF’s Thurgood Marshall Institute is a multi-disciplinary and collaborative hub within LDF that launches targeted campaigns and undertakes innovative research to shape the civil rights narrative. In media attributions, please refer to us as the NAACP Legal Defense Fund or LDF. Follow LDF on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

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