Congressional Districts
Republicans still have ‘fighting chance’ to hold Alabama’s redrawn District 2, experts say: Alabama Daily News – July 15
With Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District being redrawn last year to increase its Black population by order of a federal court, a Democratic candidate is now favored to win the seat this November, a dramatic shift from Republicans’ near-dominant control of the district since 1965…Those national issues, according to Regina Wagner, assistant professor at University of Alabama’s Department of Political Science, will likely factor heavily into the race for District 2.
Summer Commencement
University of Alabama Summer Commencement: Tuscaloosa News – Aug. 3
The University of Alabama presented 1,195 degrees to graduates in the Summer Commencement in Coleman Coliseum Saturday, Aug. 3, 2024. Grads take a selfie during the entering processional.
WIAT-TV
Tropical Storm Debby
Alabama expert: Tropical Storm Debby may cause historic flooding: WVUA-TV – Aug. 6
The wind and heavy rain are the biggest problems, compounded by the fact that the system is moving so slowly up the East Coast, said University of Alabama Department of Geography and the Environment Director of Undergraduate Studies Jason Senkbeil.
Voter Turnout
History; lack of competition, lack of access keep Alabama’s voter turnout rate low: Alabama Reflector – Aug. 6
Elections reflect the will of the people. But in Alabama, there are generally fewer people than normal making those decisions…“Alabama has generally low turnout, fairly consistently, and that has been the case for a long time and that is also typical, I think, of most of the Deep South states,” said Richard Fording, a professor of political science at The University of Alabama.
Medicaid Expansion
The Politics Holding Back Medicaid Expansion in Some Southern States: MSN – Aug. 8
If Alabama expanded Medicaid, at least 174,000 more people would be covered… But the connection to Obamacare remains a stumbling block in Alabama’s Republican-dominated state legislature. “Just the partisan nature of this is definitely a problem,” said Regina Wagner, an assistant professor of political science at The University of Alabama. Wagner said that most Alabama voters support expansion and that other states have adopted the programs after mounting public pressure.