Alabama

The U.S. Supreme Court vacated Alabama’s court-ordered congressional map on May 11, 2026, during ongoing primary elections. The state will revert to a 2023 map that courts previously struck down as intentional racial discrimination against Black voters.

Alabama’s Supreme Court ruled frozen embryos are legally children. The state refuses Medicaid expansion, losing an estimated $181.6 million in 2026 alone. The prison system’s homicide rate is 600% above the national average.

The 2026 governor’s race is Tommy Tuberville vs. Doug Jones, a rematch of their 2020 Senate contest.

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Voting rights

The Supreme Court vacated Alabama’s congressional map after its Louisiana v. Callais ruling narrowed Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. Alabama will use a 2023 map that federal courts had struck down for intentionally discriminating against Black voters. Governor Ivey called a special session to redraw both congressional and state senate maps.

A district court also struck down the state senate map as a Voting Rights Act violation. Alabama is drawing new lines while voters are already heading to the polls.

2 maps struck down for discriminating against Black voters — one congressional, one state senate — both being redrawn during an active election year

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Reproductive rights

Alabama’s near-total abortion ban carries 10 to 99 years or life in prison for providers. There are no exceptions for rape or incest. Alabama is the only ban state with a mental health exception within its broader health exception.

In February 2024, the Alabama Supreme Court ruled in LePage v. Center for Reproductive Medicine that frozen embryos are legally children under the state’s Wrongful Death of a Minor Act. IVF treatments halted across the state. Nineteen days later, Governor Ivey signed emergency legislation giving IVF providers immunity from lawsuits — but the legislature did not change the underlying legal status of embryos. That immunity has been described as “tenuous at best.”

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Healthcare and benefits

Alabama is one of 10 states that refuse Medicaid expansion. Over 154,800 low-income adults could gain coverage. The state is losing an estimated $181.6 million in 2026 by refusing. Expansion could save $71.8 million before broader economic benefits.

U.S. Representative Shomari Figures introduced a bill to broaden healthcare coverage specifically because of Alabama’s refusal. The Alabama Hospital Association supports expansion and has warned that dozens of hospitals are in danger of closing. Enhanced ACA marketplace subsidies expired at the end of 2025, increasing premiums for Alabamians buying insurance on Healthcare.gov.

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Public schools

The CHOOSE Act (signed March 2024) creates refundable tax credits for K-12 students: up to $7,000 per student at participating private schools, $2,000 at non-participating schools, and $4,000 for homeschool. For 2025-26, families earning under 300% FPL ($93,600 for a family of four) are eligible.

The DOJ sued Alabama in December 2020 over unconstitutional prison conditions. Alabama’s prison homicide rate is 600% above the national average. Between 2020 and 2024, 124 lawsuits against ADOC employees resulted in settlements, 94 involving excessive force. ADOC spent $39.7 million on private lawyers defending against the DOJ suit and class-action lawsuits — more than it paid in settlements ($4.4 million).

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2026 elections

Tommy Tuberville won the Republican primary for governor. Doug Jones won the Democratic primary. The November 3 general election is a rematch of their 2020 Senate race, which Tuberville won.

AG Steve Marshall declared for the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Tuberville’s gubernatorial run. Marshall has been one of the most aggressive AGs in joining pro-Trump multistate legal coalitions, defending executive orders on election integrity and federal workforce reform. He also opened a civil investigation into the SPLC.

Race	Candidates	Date
Governor	Tommy Tuberville (R) vs. Doug Jones (D)	Nov. 3, 2026
U.S. Senate	Steve Marshall (R, likely) vs. TBD	Nov. 3, 2026

The governor’s race decides who appoints judges and chooses whether to expand Medicaid. The AG race decides whether Alabama’s top lawyer keeps defending Trump’s executive orders or starts defending Alabama residents.

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Protect yourself right now

1. Check your voter registration. Alabama is redrawing maps during an active election. Verify your district and polling place at the Secretary of State’s office.

2. Ask governor candidates about Medicaid. Alabama refuses $181.6 million per year. Make Tuberville and Jones say whether they support expansion.

3. Track the IVF immunity law. If you are considering IVF in Alabama, understand that embryos are legally classified as children and the provider protection is temporary. The ACLU of Alabama tracks the case.

4. Know your congressional district. It may change. If you are in a newly redrawn district, verify your representation at legislature.state.al.us.

5. Follow the prison trial. The DOJ lawsuit goes to trial in 2026. The outcome will determine whether the federal government forces Alabama to fix conditions. The Equal Justice Initiative tracks developments.