All Alabama counties complete voter changes for special primary election
Voters had to be reassigned to different congressional districts in 14 counties for the Aug. 11 special primary.
Ethan Parker 
Alabama election officials have successfully navigated a tight timeline to prepare for the upcoming special primary election. The Alabama Secretary of State’s office reported Wednesday that all counties have completed the necessary voter reassignments for the special primary on August 11.
Managing the Transition
A total of 14 counties were required to reassign voters to new congressional districts. While most counties completed their updates last week, Mobile and Jefferson counties opted to finalize their changes immediately following Tuesday’s primary runoffs to avoid disrupting active voter databases.
Mobile County Probate Judge Mark Erwin confirmed his office met the requirements, noting, “We made the specific choice to wait until we had closed all matters related to the runoff election before we made those new changes to the voter database.” Regarding the logistical pressure, Erwin added, “It’s never been a tidal wave of chaos and confusion on our part. We were simply following the orders we were given.”
Jefferson County Implementation
In Jefferson County, Board of Registrars Chairman Barry Stephenson reported that while absentee ballots were delivered one day past the original target, the transition was essential to maintain data integrity. “Had we done it before the June 16 election it would have caused errors in the underlying GIS data and ballot styles,” Stephenson explained. Both Jefferson and Mobile counties have now confirmed the completion of their reassignments.
Legal and Political Context
The scramble to reconfigure districts follows a U.S. Supreme Court ruling on June 2, which authorized the use of a legislative map approved in 2023. This decision reversed earlier positions regarding the Voting Rights Act, a shift influenced by the precedent set in Louisiana vs. Callais.
As the state moves toward the August 11 election, voters are encouraged to check their congressional district and registration information through the official Secretary of State website.
