WASHINGTON – Alabama voters in four of the state’s seven congressional districts head to the polls Tuesday to choose U.S. House nominees under a newly drawn map that removes one of the two majority-Black districts now represented by Democrats.
The state had initially planned to hold primaries for all seven congressional seats on May 19. But Republican Gov. Kay Ivey delayed voting in the 1st, 2nd, 6th and 7th Congressional Districts after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling set off a wave of map changes in several Republican-led Southern states.
Those court-driven revisions in Alabama, Louisiana and Tennessee — along with earlier mid-decade redistricting moves elsewhere — formed part of a broader Republican push, backed by President Donald Trump, to improve the party’s odds of protecting its narrow U.S. House majority in the 2026 midterm elections.
Alabama’s current House delegation will remain in place under the existing district lines through the end of 2026. The candidates competing in Tuesday’s primaries, however, are seeking nominations in districts shaped by the new Republican-supported map, which takes effect in January 2027. The state’s two Democratic members of Congress are both running for reelection in their redrawn districts and face no primary opposition.
The changes are especially significant in the 2nd District, where U.S. Rep. Shomari Figures is seeking a second term. Black residents make up about half of the current district’s population, but that share would fall to roughly 40% under the new boundaries. In the 2024 presidential race, Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris carried the current district over Trump, 53% to 46%. Under the new map, Trump would have won the district instead, 57% to 42%.
Six Republicans are competing for the chance to face Figures in November. The field includes state Rep. Rhett Marques, Army veteran Joshua McKee and real estate broker Hampton Harris. Trump has thrown his support behind Marques, who has also led the Republican field in fundraising.
In the newly configured 7th District, Black residents would retain a narrow majority. U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell is running there for a ninth term. Harris defeated Trump in the current version of the district, 61% to 38%, and would still have prevailed under the new lines, though by a smaller margin of 58% to 41%. Republicans Ammie Akin and David Perry are vying for the nomination to challenge Sewell.
Below are key details about the Alabama congressional primaries and the data points the AP Decision Team will be watching as results come in.
When do polls close?
Polls close at 7 p.m. CT, which is 8 p.m. ET.
What’s on the ballot?
The Associated Press will provide vote results and declare winners in contested primaries for the 1st, 2nd, 6th and 7th Congressional Districts.
Who gets to vote?
The special primaries are open to any registered voters in their respective congressional districts. Although Alabama does not register voters by party, voters will be asked to declare a party preference upon selecting a party’s primary ballot.
How many voters are there?
As of June 1, there were 3.8 million registered voters in Alabama. Each congressional district in the state has a total population of about 718,000.
How many people actually vote?
About 409,000 ballots were cast across the state in the May 19 primaries, which was roughly 11% of registered voters. Past vote totals for the four new congressional districts are unavailable.
How much of the vote is cast early or by absentee ballot?
Relatively few Alabama voters cast their ballots before Election Day. The state is one of the only holdouts in the country not to offer some form of in-person early voting. In the 2024 primaries, about 4% of Democratic primary voters and about 1% of Republican primary voters voted by mail.
When are early and absentee votes released?
Vote release practices vary from county to county. Most counties tend to release results from absentee voting in the first vote update, sometimes along with results from in-person Election Day voting.
How long does vote-counting usually take?
In the May 19 state primary, the AP first reported results at 8:28 p.m. ET, or 28 minutes after polls closed. The last vote update of the night was at 12:54 a.m. ET, with more than 99.9% of total votes counted.
When will the AP declare a winner?
The AP does not make projections and will declare a winner only when it’s determined there is no scenario that would allow a trailing candidate to close the gap. If a race has not been called, the AP will continue to cover any newsworthy developments, such as candidate concessions or declarations of victory. In doing so, the AP will make clear that it has not yet declared a winner and explain why.
How do recounts work?
In 2010, the Alabama attorney general issued an opinion that Alabama’s automatic recount law does not apply to primaries. The AP may declare a winner in a race that is subject to a recount if it can determine the lead is too large for a recount or legal challenge to change the outcome.
Are we there yet?
As of Tuesday, there will be 84 days until the 2026 midterm elections.
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