I am grateful for the pasta I just finished. Literally the best part of my day today! Today is May 29th, which is a day of reverence for me. This time of year is usually joyous for me, but also a sober reminder of the commitments many have made to our nation. One of those icons is John F. Kennedy – who was born today in 1917. While his family has a polarizing place in American history, his contributions (as well as those of others in his family!) have inspired generations of Americans – especially those who are newcomers to this nation as well as to the political process.
I believe that his President Kennedy’s legacy, as well as the legacy of many other contemporary heroes, is being tested. This test for me is no more evident than in Alabama right now. Those who are currently in power in Montgomery are governing in a manner that is silencing political votes and making education and career readiness across industry more restrictive. I believe this is evident in how Alabama is conducting its redistricting for both federal and state political offices.
The map above shows how Alabama’s most recent Congressional map was drawn (after a series of drafting by Courts and Alabama’s Legislature). This map produced the following results during the 2024 election, which was also a presidential election year (source – Wikipedia):
- District 1 – Rep. Barry Moore (Republican, won by 27%)
- District 2 – Rep. Shomari Figures (Democrat, won by 5%)
- District 3 – Rep. Mike Rogers (Republican, won by 23%)
- District 4 – Rep. Robert Aderholt (Republican, won by 33%)
- District 5 – Rep. Dale Strong (Republican, won by 15%)
- District 6 – Rep. Gary Palmer (Republican, won by 20%)
- District 7 – Rep. Terri Sewell (Democrat, won by 13%)
This is also reflected in the following map which color coordinates these results by district:
I believe that this was a fair result and was one of the few times that the state moved towards accurately reflecting how the votes tend to go in statewide elections. My hope, despite the bleak odds, is that this becomes the baseline for how Alabama Congressional elections are handled. But the future seems to be moving towards a 6-1 or even 7-0 advantage favoring GOP Congressional candidates!
Based on the first map of Alabama above, and aligning with the tremendous commitments of many Americans towards an evolving and inclusive democracy, I believe that we should continue to revisit how we ensure fair representation in all state and federal political offices. In Alabama, my view as a newcomer is that we should build on the Congressional map from 2024 and reconsider how it aligns with all interests. I agree that the AL-2 district and the AL-7 district should be drawn to include Montgomery and Birmingham, respectively. I also believe that AL-2 should include Auburn-Opelika (Lee County). I think the AL-1 district should include all of Mobile County (which would be a loss to AL-2 offset by adding Lee County). This is an uninformed dream based solely on vibes. Mobile should be in its own district, ideally with the rest of AL-1, and Auburn should be with Montgomery in the same sense Tuscaloosa is with Birmingham in the AL-7 district.
My larger point is that Alabama should have congressional and state legislature districts that align with how the voters vote in statewide elections. In theory, based on the numbers (Ballotpedia is a great source), Alabama’s congressional maps should reflect a roughly 60 – 40% advantage favoring the GOP (allowing for a potential 10-15% sampling error). This means out of the 7 congressional seats, there potentially could be 3 or maybe 4 congressional seats that Democrats could win. I agree that the current landscape favors a 5-2 GOP lead with seats, but only in how the districts are currently drawn. Maybe in the future a congressional district with Mobile (like AL-1) as well as the AL-5 district with Huntsville become competitive enough that Democrats could win there.
I write this with great enthusiasm and belief in the political process. It is an evolving process and one that I will never completely understand. My hope is that in writing this I produce a memory for myself and others for the future. I also want to honor the hard work of the many people who have never known luxury, but battled so that others could enjoy the best of America. My hope is that America returns the favor to those people who worked so hard!
