Last night, the United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama made a monumental ruling in a Voting Rights Act case that had been filed to challenge the gerrymandered Congressional districts in the State of Alabama. The ruling recognizes that the districts drawn by the Republican dominated legislature in the fall of 2021 were in fact in violation of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. The ruling provides a historic opportunity to elect a second Alabama Democrat to the US House of Representatives. We applaud the Court for its ruling and believe that it is correct and will withstand any appeal.
The ruling has called into question the deadline for qualifying for State and County races for the May 24 Primary. The Court made clear that Congressional qualifying would be extended for two additional weeks, through at least February 11, 2022; however, the Court did not clearly state any effect on the other races for which qualifying had been scheduled to close this Friday (January 28, 2022). We have been seeking clarification on this issue throughout the day today. The Secretary of State and the Alabama Democratic Party have both stated that they do not know what effect the ruling has on those other races.
The Court has scheduled a Status Conference for tomorrow afternoon, and we expect to get some clarity on the issue at that time, if not before. For now, we have to assume that qualifying for County races will end at 5 p.m. this Friday, but we will give a further update as soon as such becomes available.
To re-affirm, the races that are subject to County qualifying with the Jefferson County Democratic Executive Committee for the May 24 primary, with their qualifying fees are:
- Sheriff of Jefferson County: $3,200
- County Commission, Districts 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5: $1,648
- Jefferson County School Board, Districts 3 and 5: $144
- Jefferson County Democratic Executive Committee, 12 members (6 male, 6 female) from each of 5 Commission Districts: $50
Checks should be made payable to Jefferson County Democratic Executive Committee. The qualifying location is at the law offices of Wiggins, Childs, Pantazis, Fisher & Goldfarb, The Kress Building, 1901 3rd Avenue North, Birmingham, Alabama 35203. Questions can be directed to me at 205-527-6345.
Thanks much to those who have already qualified, and please check back for further information before Friday.
Wayne Rogers
Chair
Jefferson County Democratic Executive Committee