Public Hearings Report – Alabama Redistricting Project
Written by Kendra Majors of Alabama Values
Week two public hearings recap
Alabamians demand Legislature draw lines that better support their communities; deadline drawing near for testimony
Residents from across Alabama turned out in week two of redistricting public hearings seeking changes to districts that will better serve their communities. There are only two days of public hearings left until the public’s deadline to submit testimony by September 16, 2021. The public comment portion is winding down quickly. This week, two public hearings had no speakers and two public hearings saw just one speaker.
TUESDAY, SEPT. 7, 2021
Shelton State Community College, Tuscaloosa, Ala., 9 a.m.
Twenty-nine people attended in person at the Tuscaloosa public hearing.
Carol Prickett of the League of Women Voters of Greater Tuscaloosa spoke in favor of the whole county map submitted by the League of Women Voters.
“Tuscaloosa County represents a large diverse hub of energy for west Alabama which is a community of interest,” she said. “But, the current congressional districts do not allow us to speak with a unified voice, do not receive the congressional attention our unique needs require from one representative held accountable at our ballot boxes and buries our concerns by homogenizing them with those of very different areas of Alabama life.”
Dorman Walker, an attorney hired by the state legislature to handle the hearings, said that the map presented by the League of Women Voters has a deviation of 2.46 percent, which he said is not minimal deviation, and that it does not have a majority-black district but rather two opportunity districts. Walker said the black voting-age population percentage in the LWV’s map is 45.82 percent for the proposed District 7 and 40.55 percent for District 6, which would include Jefferson, Bibb, Hale, and Perry counties.
Katheryn Meadows asked if the Legislature would use an algorithm to help draw the districts to help prevent Gerrymandering. She referenced that the state has been in several stories regarding Gerrymandering. Meadows said she does not believe the whole county plan balances the districts when she compares it to information.
“Alabama is being repeatedly called out in the media for our issues,” she said. “And we need to address those issues and this is one of them and one of the ways to address those issues.”
Walker said generally states who use algorithms as a tool in redistricting are the same states that have non-partisan committees conducting the redistricting, which is not Alabama’s case.
Mike Altman of Tuscaloosa explained that he and a friend share the same school, same church, and are in the same neighborhood in the city, but do not share a single district except the two U.S. Senators. He said that he can have lunch with someone in another district during his lunch break, but cannot have lunch with someone who shares the same district who lives in Livingston. He said that mid-size cities share very little in common with rural areas.
Kathy Jones of the League of Women Voters spoke virtually. She questioned why the committee keeps referencing that the congressional districts have to balance by no more than one person.
She said that was not what the precedent is.
Walker said there are circumstances where deviation has been allowed but he is not sure if that applies to Alabama.
Judy Taylor, a resident of Tuscaloosa, asked when the committee was reseated and how long committee members have been on the committee.
Walker said it was created in 1989 and that when it is not redistricting it is a small committee, but it has 22 members during redistricting that includes members of the House of Representatives and Senate. He was not sure how long everyone had been on the committee.
McClendon said the current committee was appointed at the beginning of the quadrennium — 11 from the House and 11 from and Senate. If it is not a redistricting cycle the committee has three members from each chamber.
Albert Turner of Perry County said he was very interested in the congressional makeup of the Alabama delegation.
“Currently we only have one Democrat in that delegation,” he said. “I am curious to know what is the objective of the committee as well as what is the proposed deviation that you all are going to put forth to the full legislature.”
Turner asked what the committee was going to do to ensure that Alabama’s black population has representation in the Congressional delegation.
“In Central Alabama, you have a cluster of the population what we call the Black Belt population, which I’m from, Perry County, the population is leaving. Congressional District 7 is going to be expanded to make sure we get the number of people that is required to have an equalization of districts. What is your deviation? We know that one or zero is not going to work to make sure that African Americans are adequately represented.”
Walker said his understanding of the law with Congressional districts is that they are bound to minimal deviation. He said the plus/minus 5 percent came from the Equal Protection Clause.
He referenced that the counsel for the League of Women Voters has an argument about deviation. Walker said they expect two competing lawsuits challenging what the Legislature chooses to do.
Turner said that he believes that at least a 55 percent Black Voting Age Population is a successful minority district.
“We want to skirt around the issue, but race and politics go hand-in-hand,” he said.
Lisa Ward of Tuscaloosa County said the distance of how far the representative has to travel around their district should be considered. She referenced how Congressional District 4 runs from Mississippi to Georgia.
Jefferson State Community College, Clanton, Ala., 11 a.m.
Allen Williams of Chilton County spoke at the Clanton hearing. Williams said he’s a county commissioner in Chilton County. “Is any consideration being given to make each county whole in this endeavor,” he asked.
Walker said it is very likely that the plan to be passed will have many more whole counties than in 2011. Walker said that the deviation in 2011 went to 2 percent down from 10 percent in 2001. The 2021 deviation is plus or minus 5 percent.
He also asked if Alabamians will see the Legislature’s plan before they vote.
Walker said that they did not know when the special session would be called by Gov. Kay Ivey. Walker said they will become public once a plan is introduced as a bill.
Jefferson State Community College, Hoover, Ala. 2 p.m.
Bill Myers of Eagle Point HOA spoke at the hearing in Hoover. He said that it is a “bedroom community” of 700 homes. The community is currently split in the House between Districts 43 and 45. He said they recently had a tornado for which they are still recovering.
“From that, we have learned the importance of being under one house district or having one person we can rely on,” he said. “I know the importance of having this community under one representative.”
He said that District 45 represents both Shelby and Jefferson county. Their community is zoned for Oak Mountain schools, which is part of District 43.
Adrian Dudley, mayor of Lakeview, said they would like to be represented by a single representative. The town is in Tuscaloosa and Jefferson counties.
“To me, it makes more sense for city integrity to be consolidated,” he said.
Doug Hoffman spoke next about Gerrymandering.
“My interest is in overall Congressional districting, but also house and senate,” he said. “I’m concerned about Gerrymandering in our state. Alabama has a serious problem.”
Hoffman said a simple fix for the Congressional seat is to use Jefferson County as a primary base for a Congressional seat and then use Montgomery and counties to the west as a second.
“Those two geographic areas would be more competitive,” he said. “When you draw districts that are polarized, you get a polarized community.”
Rep. Kenneth Paschal also spoke.
“I’m a newly elected house of representatives for the state of Alabama, and I’m excited to be part of this process.”
Felicia Scalzetti, CROWD Fellow, spoke about how she lives in one district, but conducts shopping in another. She said Congressional District 7 is packed and very geographically separated.
“I live in CD 7, but get my groceries in Congressional District 6,” she said. “In fact, as far as I can tell, most of the Walmarts in the area and other such stores are actually all in Congressional District 6, where everybody in Birmingham actually goes to get their groceries. I live in Senate District 18. I shop in Senate District 16. We have enough population in Jefferson County for 4.7 senate districts. We would have to go outside of the county to get enough population to fill up. We should have representation that represents our interests. That fifth district, I believe it should be in Shelby. Hoover is split almost exactly between Jefferson and Shelby.”
There are 17 house seats, but Scalzetti said Jefferson County should have about 14. The reason is that there are a lot of districts that come from other counties.
“Gerrymandering is a snowballing effect,” she said. “You cannot draw a Gerrymandered map in one corner and not have it affect the rest of the state. The lines are the lines are the lines. You can try to reduce the impact of certain Alabamians, especially Black Alabamians, but you mess up your own districts, you mess up your own constituents’ ability to hold y’all accountable. You’re hurting your own people. You are hurting the people of Alabama.”
Michael Miller said that Black Alabamians makeup 27.2 percent of Alabama’s population and 25.9 percent of the VAP, but only have one or 14 percent of Congressional seats in Alabama.
“In order for us to be on equitable or equal footing in the state, we should have at least two of those seats allocated toward African American interests,” he said.
He suggested gravitating toward Mobile County to get a second majority-minority district.
He also said that using the whole county plan would disenfranchise Black Alabamians in Jefferson County, and he would like to see District 7 kept as it is and create a second district.
Wallace State Community College, Selma, Ala., 4 p.m.
In the home of the cornerstone of voting rights, only one person spoke at the public hearing in Selma on Wednesday.
Acquanetta Poole said she represents all the Black Belt communities.
She wants the lines redrawn to have better schools. She also spoke at the public hearing at the State House on Wednesday, September 8, 2021.
WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 8, 2021
Bishop State Community College, Mobile, Ala., 9 a.m.
Shalela Dowdy, a CROWD Fellow, spoke first in Mobile.
“The State of Alabama has a history of partaking in racial Gerrymandering that has resulted in the dilution of the black vote and the reduction of black political power within the state,” she said. “These actions have resulted in the black voting power consistently being suppressed. First looking at our state congressional map, it is evident that the Seventh Congressional district is packed with black voters.”
Dowdy said the new Congressional maps should allow for two majority-minority districts or two districts that are majority Democratic to expand fair representation.
Suzanne Carney of League of Women Voters Mobile spoke in favor of the already proposed map by the League of Women Voters.
Mobile resident Barbara Caddell, who lives in a historic home in the city’s Old Dauphin Way Historic District, said, “A house that was commissioned by a woman, built by a woman before a woman can vote. Many voters have had their voices effectively muted by the way that voting districts have been drawn. Today, you have the opportunity to remove some of these challenges and thus improve the democratic process.”
She spoke in favor of two congressional districts for minorities in Alabama to have better representation for people of color in the state.
“Democracy is strengthened when constituents feel heard, and constituents are more likely to be heard when they are in a group,” she said.
Rep. Adline Clarke spoke on behalf of Chickasaw, who would like to see their city kept whole.
District 96 is overpopulated and District 97 is underpopulated. She said 64 house districts are over or under the deviation needed for the ideal range for the amount of people required in a district.
Coastal Alabama Community College, Monroeville, Ala., 11 a.m.
Monroeville Mayor Charles Andrews said he has had several discussions regarding their representation in the house and senate. He referenced that the county is split. He said he would like to see one representative for Monroe County.
Rebecca Cornelison spoke at the hearing.
“With respect to the mayor, I disagree on unifying Monroe County under the district north of us. I don’t even know why I bothered to come to this meeting, I’ve been told several times that this is a done deal. And if it’s a done deal then why are we even having the meetings?”
She lives in Uriah, which is in southern Monroe County.
“If you look at the Senate District there are already eight counties in district 23. One representative is not going to be able to represent the interests of all of the people in eight counties. The reason you have eight counties is because these are rural counties who have poor representation and people have moved out of them because of poor representation. Monroe County lost population and that’s because of poor representation.”
She referenced Monroe County High School and J.F. Shields continually being failing schools and J.U. Blacksher and Excel generally doing OK.
She said the south part of Monroe County is largely conservative, which is opposite of the northern portion of the county.
“For the first time in 2020, we elected a countywide Republican,” she said. She said that by consolidating south Monroe County in the district with north Monroe County, it becomes a “minority within a minority.”
Walker said there is no plan yet in the Legislature for redistricting in response to Cornelison’s comment about the process being a done deal.
Demopolis Civic Center, Demopolis, Ala, 1 p.m.
Jan McDonald of the West Alabama Watchman said, “ever since we have lived in Marengo County, it has been divided into three house districts. I noticed that again we are split — Demopolis is split straight down the middle. I don’t know which side of the line I am on. How do we find out and how come we can’t have the whole city in one district.”
Troy University, Troy, Ala., 3 p.m.
No one spoke at the Troy public hearing.
Alabama State House, Montgomery, Ala., 6 p.m.
In the only public hearing scheduled outside non-traditional working hours, the committee heard from a host of Alabamians at the State House on Wednesday.
The first speaker was Carol Mosely of the League of Women Voters of Montgomery.
Mosely said it was unfair that Montgomery County was split into three Congressional districts in 2010. She said that the 2010 plan packed Democratic voters and even called the line between the Seventh Congressional District and the Second Congressional District “highly irregular.”
She went on to say that the LWV supported plans that did not split counties.
Cleo George Washington Jr. spoke next. He is a sophomore at LAMP in Montgomery.
Washington said he was 5 years old the last time redistricting occurred and this was his first opportunity to speak. He said that the 2010 Congressional District 2 map diluted minority voting.
He gave reference to the fact that before then Congressional District 2 was competitive, citing that former Rep. Bobby Bright, a Democrat, won by 1 percent in 2008, and former Rep. Martha Roby, a Republican, won by 2 percent in 2010.
“It is equally clear CD 2 is non-competitive,” he said.
He recommended reducing the CD 7 from 63 percent black residents to 53 percent and increasing CD 2 by 10 percent to 40 percent black residents.
“Like most of America, Alabama is going through a transformation,” he said. “It is becoming more and more diverse. As a result of the growing diversity, Alabama added over a quarter of a million new residents over the last decade to bring our total population to 5,024,000. Most of these new residents are minorities and deserve the opportunity to have a second member of Congress.”
Kathleen Kirkpatrick also spoke. She is a resident of the Garden District in Montgomery. She spoke about the senate District 25 and 26. She lives in Senate District 26. She said it is relatively black, but in contrast, Senate District 25 is weirdly shaped and runs from Elmore County then grabs Montgomery’s predominantly white areas and goes down to all of Crenshaw County. She said that she is working to create maps to submit.
She also addressed the seven house districts in Montgomery County, all of which are weirdly shaped and pulls from outside of the county.
“It’s a disservice to the people of Montgomery to not do a better job addressing a balance and to split our city into three Congressional Districts, especially since we know there is a lot of federal funding coming, we need to be able to work closely with our federal representatives to make sure that money is spent appropriately.”
The Rev. Rayford Mack, president of the Metro Montgomery NAACP asked for fair representation.
“I’m here today to go on record at this public hearing to ask to urge the committee to create fair and representative maps,” Mack said. “I am tired of being the victim of partisan Gerrymandering, packing, cracking.”
Acquanetta Poole said she attended the meeting to represent all students who are underserved.
She said she is a product of the Montgomery Public School System.
“I made it out, a product of the Montgomery Public School System, however, all too often I hear of so many children who did not make it out. Hundreds of them. They do not have a fighting chance to make it out.”
She said educating black and brown children is unequal. She said the private school system is coined on at-risk.
“Give our black and brown children a chance to make it out of this designed plan that has held them captive. The pipeline to the prison system, that’s the direction they are going.”
Tabitha Isner said the Legislature should not divide Montgomery County to better serve the people who live there. She said most concerning is that Montgomery is divided into three congressional districts.
“That division is not necessary and serves no purpose other than racial Gerrymandering. Montgomery functions as a unified economy and a unified community and culture. We are a single media market, yet on TV we see ads for three different Congressional races. Local organizations that want to advocate for our region must write letters, make phone calls and make visits to three different Congressional representatives. Only one of whom even has an office in Montgomery despite it being one of the largest cities. Racial divisions are already a huge problem in our town. So, the fact white voters are likely represented by a different congressman than black voters only serves to further the sense that we aren’t really living in the same town. Moreover, no voter in Montgomery County is voting in a competitive district.”
Pastor Kenneth Glasgow, the founder of The Ordinary People Society, said prison inmates need to be counted in the districts in which they are residents, not where they are incarcerated.
Glasgow said there are currently 12 states doing this.
THURSDAY, SEPT. 9, 2021
Gadsden State Community College, Anniston, Ala., 9 a.m.
Talladega resident, Martha Jordan, kicked off the public testimony in Anniston on Thursday.
She said the last map resulted in a diluted representation of Talladega. The map resulted in them sharing representatives with St. Clair and Shelby counties. She said she felt that Talladega County was overlooked. She said the city of Lincoln was split, causing confusion during voting.
“We want fair maps not just for Talladega County, but for all 67 counties,” she said.
Jordan said the Legislature should hire an independent redistricting committee and that it should be non-partisan to draw fair and unbiased districts.
Anniston resident Ralph Bradford Sr., said he agreed with Jordan. He said he came to the public hearing to at least see a rough draft of the new proposed districts.
“We intend to draw up our own proposed map and present it to the reapportionment committee in Montgomery,” he said. “We will also be sending our map to Washington to the U.S. Justice Department because of Alabama’s history of racial discrimination against African Americans and because the majority of elected officials in this state are white Republicans and the white republicans in Alabama voted against the voting rights act. So, it is past time for African Americans to have their own district.”
He said putting Talladega County will give more opportunities for black representation in that area.
Walker told Bradford the maps are not drawn yet and the Legislators are just now meeting with the demographer and they will take into consideration the comments from the public hearings.
Bradford closed his comments by informing the committee that he is a Republican.
Lincoln resident Carla Shackelford said she wanted to speak about keeping communities together. She said having a large number of districts makes it confusing for constituents. Lincoln is the location of the Honda automotive plant and shares borders with Calhoun and St. Clair counties.
Anniston resident James Williams said that protecting incumbents should be second at best.
He said his focus is on Senate and House districts. He said everywhere he has lived has had confusing districts.
Jacksonville resident Pamela Howard spoke next. She spoke on Calhoun County’s legislative districts. She said they have one Senator and six house districts. She said that creates a real issue with being able to have a relationship with one’s representative and getting things done.
“Keeping incumbents in office is not a priority,” she said.
Glenn Ray said he came there looking for a new map. He said that the rumor is that “they” are attempting to take District 32, which would make it difficult for that district to elect a Black Alabamian for their representation.
“Y’all draw blacks out of the district, how can we have a voice?” he asked.
Dr. Adia Winfrey of Transform Alabama said she took her child to the state capital to speak with legislators to talk about how important homeschooling is. She said her son met Rep. Barbara Boyd, but everyone was at a loss to try to figure out who their senators were. She said in the end no one was able to meet Sen. Jim McClendon. She said that moment has stuck with her and her children.
“Regardless of political party and regardless of incumbency, we deserve representation,” she said.
Richard Jackson said he didn’t have a lot written down.
“In my lifetime my district has been so many different districts, it’s hard to keep them in line,” he said. “The way that things are done here in Alabama and predominately the southeast really took shape during the Civil Rights Movement. It’s just an indication of just how far people will go to keep other people in line. It depends on who has the pencil, but more importantly, it depends on who’s got the eraser. There are a lot of people who have control of the eraser. If we get maps done in the next few weeks, I guarantee that if the population of minorities increases that the eraser will come out after the next Census to keep people in line.”
He said that the majority of minorities are concerned about how things are. He said that redistricting since the Civil Rights Movement has been done to keep minorities’ power down.
“You can bury your head in the sand and act like it’s not real, but there’s a generation that’s coming along like you’ve never seen and they’re not going to stand for this. I’m not going to stand for it and I’ll be 70 years old, and I’ll just be damned if I go to my grave with the things that I put up with as a 12-year-old, that I’m still putting up with.”
Lurleen B. Wallace Community College, Greenville, Ala. 11 a.m.
Dr. Brock Kelley, president of LBWCC, welcomed everyone to the campus.
Christopher Bennett, chairman of the Butler County Democratic Executive Committee, came to the meeting to ask if there would be any information about redistricting for the Butler County Board of Education and the Butler County Commission.
Walker let him know that wasn’t part of the scope of the public hearing. He was directed to speak with the Butler County Commission and the Butler County BOE.
Next, Jesse McWilliams, a Butler County Commissioner, spoke. He has served as a commissioner for more than two decades. Looking at the Congressional lines and the state BOE, “we are down in population.”
“I guess what I would take this morning when we see those numbers have gone down. Keeping numbers as it relates to race, where it would be beneficial to both races.”
He said they don’t need districts where one race is so predominant that the other doesn’t have a voice.
Greenville City Councilman Joseph West said that Butler County is in a Congressional district that lost population. West was elected to the city council during the 2020 municipal election.
West asked, “If you lose population, does that mean you may be put into another district? Or is that a district that gained will come over into your district?”
Walker said they start with the ideal population, and if a district has lost population, it must get population from somewhere else, or if a district is overpopulated it has to shed population.
Dr. Jackie Woods asked how to get what’s fair for all, especially the minority.
“What would be the best method for fair representation for all,” he asked. “Right at 200 years, there has never been a minority on that particular set without saying too much. How would you go about doing that?”
He spoke about packing and diluting the minority voting.
Walker said the VRA Section 2 required the drawing of a majority-minority district. In Alabama’s case, that means it’s a majority-black district.
Walker said the first thing you look at is if there is a substantial minority process and if it’s in a relatively compact area. Walker said if the minority population is spread out, they cannot make a majority-minority district.
Coastal Alabama Community Community College, Brewton, Ala., 2 p.m.
No one spoke at the public hearing in Brewton, Ala.
Southern Union Community College, Opelika, Ala., 4 p.m.
Laura HIll spoke first at the hearing Thursday afternoon in Opelika. She requested that districts follow county lines rather than the current methods used for the 2011 redistricting.
Rep. Debbie Wood spoke next. She represents House District 38. She said she has had questions from her constituents she could not answer since it’s her first term. She said Chambers County went from the entire county being in District 38 to only a fraction being located within the boundaries today.
“There is something going on for that district to have changed the way it has changed since 1990,” she said. “And I don’t have those answers, gentlemen.”
Walker said there were two factors that may be an answer to her questions. He said that in 2011, the Legislature only allowed for 1 percent plus or minus deviation. He said the lack of flexibility caused a lot of splits. Walker said the major reason is the huge population increase in Lee County.
Woods said that constitutionally there can be 106 districts in the state house of representatives. She said they need to add it. Currently, there are 105 districts. She said that the way her district is carved, she doesn’t even have the Chambers county seat in her district, while the District 37, includes both the Chambers County seat and the Randolph County seat.
Bernice Baharanyi said she was there on behalf of herself and other African Americans who feel underrepresented by the 2011 map. She said that some of the lines drawn on the maps do not seem to benefit African Americans. She said she was born and raised in Alabama. She said that despite the hard-fought efforts of African Americans, people of color’s voting power is still threatened by white politicians who draw lines to dilute their vote, disenfranchise and limit their representation.
She said that after the Supreme Court ruled against Gerrymandering, people got together to figure out ways to keep white politicians in power. Beharanyi questioned where the minority representation is on the reapportionment committee.
“Where are the people who look like me?”
Walker said the reapportionment committee has 22 people on there and said there are black and white people on the committee.
Valerie Gray from the Chambers County Republican Committee spoke about the issues with Chambers County’s district lines. She asked them to take an objective look at House Districts 37 and 38.
She was representing O’Neal Shaw, president of the committee.
Emily Joyner asked about an outside commission being consulted to ensure fair maps are drawn.
Walker said the constitution requires the Legislature to do the redistricting.
Probate Judge of Lee County and Chairman of the Lee County Commission Bill English said there is very little coordination between the state and the county about the lines. He said that causes confusion and apathy. He said they have precincts with 10-12 different ballots in one precinct. He said counties can help adjust precinct lines to coincide with the district lines. He said that not coordinating causes the voters to suffer.
Warren Tidwell said his neighborhood is split into two districts. He said in doing disaster response he has seen neighborhoods that have more than one representative and it makes it difficult when disaster strikes.
Other information
Alabama Values asked Walker a series of questions at the Anniston hearing and the Greenville hearing to get clarification for previous comments made by the committee.
Anniston:
AV asked: Would you please give the citation for the deviation of one person in the Congressional District? Several people have asked over the last few days and constituents would like answers.
Walker: I don’t have that cite. You can ask Jim Blacksher that. There are different schools of thought about whether redistricting should be partisan or non-partisan. There is a healthy school that says it’s an inherently partisan activity, although, perhaps you could have too much partisanship. That was an issue dealt with recently by the Supreme Court. The reapportionment committee has both Republicans and Democrats on it. Typically states in which there is a non-partisan redistricting do that by a redistricting committee, but there again, the members’ committee is appointed by politicians. I will leave it to you as to whether or not you can really get politics out of redistricting. I’m doubtful myself. If you want to pursue that as a goal, that’s fine.
AV asked: Who specifically was responsible for promoting the hearings to the public?
Walker: The hearings were publicized through all the state media and posted on the Legislature’s website, they were posted on the secretary of state’s website. They were also sent to television, radio, and digital media sources throughout the state with the request that they be publicized. What happened after that the committee has no control over that.
AV asked: Also considering hearings were made to get public input, is there a reason that only one of the 28 hearings was planned after 5 p.m., which is accessible to many working individuals?
Walker: There have been several persons who have pointed out that they should have been at 6 p.m., or not during the day. Perhaps that’s something the committee will have to take into account next time.
Greenville
AV asked: In the earlier hearing you vaguely touched on the fact that redistricting in Alabama is not really non-partisan. How does that work to guarantee fair districts and fair representation given that one party overwhelmingly controls the Alabama Legislature currently.
Walker: I’m not going to answer that question. Fairness is in the eyes of the beholder and I think that’s where I’ll leave it.
Like last week, the audio-visual has been spotty, making the communication difficult in some cases between the reapportionment committee, speakers, and those viewing via Microsoft Teams.
Final hearings next week, deadline to submit testimony
In the final week, legislators will hear from community members at public hearings in Hanceville, Gadsden, Union Springs, Livingston, Fairhope, and Wadley. Alabamians can attend in-person or virtually. To find out more, visit http://www.legislature.state.al.us/aliswww/Reapportionment/Legislative%20Reapportionment%20Public%20Hearings_Aug%205%20.pdf
After each day of public hearings, the Southern Coalition for Social Justice’s Alabama CROWD Fellows will hold town hall-style virtual debriefings at 7 p.m. During the debriefings, community members who attend can ask questions and speak on what happened during the public hearings. Those who were unable to attend can join to hear a recap of the public hearings. The CROWD fellows also provide basic information regarding redistricting and how to create effective testimony to submit to the redistricting committee. There has been a lot of interesting discussion from these town hall meetings.
Anyone may join the debriefings by visiting, https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYvcOCrpz8jGdHDz0OqNwB6kP59z9hT2qEA
The deadline to submit testimony is Sept. 16. Email your testimony to district@alsenate.gov or donna.overton@alsenate.gov Alabama Values clarified with Donna Overton that both email addresses go to the same place.
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