BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Alabama voters are casting ballots Tuesday in a primary election that includes statewide contests, all 140 seats in the Legislature and two constitutional amendments, even as a fast-moving redistricting battle hangs over the state’s congressional map. A federal three-judge panel has set a hearing for May 22 in Birmingham in the long-running congressional redistricting case, after the U.S. Supreme Court allowed Alabama to use a different map for this year’s congressional elections.
The elections are unfolding against a broader set of 2026 primaries and runoffs, with the primary runoff set for June 16 if no candidate wins outright. All 35 state Senate seats and all 105 House seats are on the ballot, along with federal and statewide offices in the normal primary cycle.
The immediate fight is about Alabama’s congressional map, not the ballot amendments. The U.S. Supreme Court recently allowed the state to use a map that had previously been struck down, and Gov. Kay Ivey called lawmakers into special session as state officials sought to stabilize the election process. The hearing set for May 22 in Birmingham comes as courts continue to sort out whether Alabama can keep using the challenged map or must continue with a court-ordered alternative.
The issue matters because the map can change which districts are winnable, who represents voters and whether Black voters have a fair opportunity to elect candidates of their choice. Voting rights advocates say the state’s redistricting fights have consistently centered on whether lawmakers diluted Black voting strength; state leaders have argued over how to respond to court rulings and election deadlines.
Statewide Amendment 1 would expand the list of offenses for which judges may deny bail. Under the secretary of state’s ballot statement, it would let judges deny bail to people charged with shooting or discharging a firearm, explosive or other weapon into an occupied dwelling, building or vehicle; a “yes” vote approves the change, and a “no” vote keeps current law in place.
Statewide Amendment 2 would bar lawmakers from reducing a district attorney’s compensation during that official’s six-year term. The ballot statement says a “yes” vote changes the Alabama Constitution so a district attorney’s salary could not be diminished during the term, while a “no” vote rejects that change.
All 105 Alabama House seats and all 35 state Senate seats are up for election, which means every legislative district in the state is on the ballot this cycle. The primary also includes federal races, with the U.S. Senate contest and congressional primaries part of the broader election calendar.
Because Alabama uses a majority-vote primary system, candidates who fail to clear 50% move to a runoff on June 16. That makes Tuesday not just a vote for nominees, but often the first step in a longer nomination fight that can reshape both the Legislature and Alabama’s congressional delegation.