State preps backup primaries

Alabama is nearly set for special primaries this year as lawmakers wait to see if the Supreme Court will allow the state to use previously-blocked congressional maps.

Why it matters: Alabama is among the wave of redistricting efforts sweeping the South, leaving its May 19 primaries in limbo.

The latest: Two bills passed their respective chambers on Wednesday, and are expected to pass fully today, the fifth day of this special session.

• Senate Bill 1, establishing special elections for state Senate Districts 25 and 26, near Montgomery, passed out of the Senate Wednesday after multiple amendments from Democratic members failed, per Alabama Political Reporter.
• House Bill 1 would allow Gov. Kay Ivey to invalidate this year's primary for the 1st, 2nd, 6th and 7th congressional districts and call a special replacement primary, a move Alabama Daily News reports would likely flip one of Alabama's House seats from blue to red.

Catch up quick: The special session followed Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall filing emergency motions with the U.S. Supreme Court to lift lower-court injunctions blocking the Legislature's 2023 maps.

• If the court acts, the state could revert to those maps for the 2026 elections, impacting those four congressional districts, and potentially setting the stage for a full map redraw.

What they're saying: Marshall published an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal calling for Congress to amend the Voting Rights Act via "a targeted amendment through must-pass legislation such as an appropriations bill."

The other side: The legislative efforts are getting pushback, including protests in the Senate chamber Wednesday, per AL.com.

• Congressman Shomari Figures, (D-2), whose district is on the line, told a committee in Montgomery Wednesday that "we cannot pretend that progress rolled in on the wheels of inevitability."
• In a court filing, the NAACP framed the efforts as a "contrived controversy" that "presents no emergency," per Alabama Reflector.