Author: Virginia Martin
Woodfin Beats Incumbent Bell in Birmingham Mayor’s Race, Other Results
It appears Birmingham voters have replaced their mayor and the president of the City Council.
Randall Woodfin has beaten incumbent William Bell in the race for the mayor’s post. In unofficial vote returns Woodfin has taken almost 59 percent of the vote to Bell’s 41 percent.
It also appears that Council President Johnathan Austin has been beaten in his bid for re-election. In the District 5 race, Darrell O’Quinn had 52 percent of the vote to Austin’s 48 percent, though only about 200 votes separated the men in the district race.
Woodfin Appears to Have Beaten Bell in Birmingham Mayor’s Race
Randall Woodfin appears to have beaten incumbent William Bell in the race to be Birmingham’s next mayor.
Woodfin had 59 percent of the vote to Bell’s 41 percent with 96 percent of the vote counted.
“Birmingham, this is our moment,” Woodfin said to supporters at his campaign party.
Bell had not conceded, but he appeared to his supporters and said “the numbers do not look good.” Bell said he is grateful to the people of Birmingham for the many opportunities they have given him.
US Supreme Court Takes a Pass, Won’t Hear Challenge of JeffCo Bond Refinancing
Oct. 3, 2017 – Jefferson County Commissioners reported this morning that the U.S. Supreme Court had opted not to hear the latest challenge to the county’s refinancing of bonds backed by the 1-cent sales tax.
“The Supreme Court denied even hearing it,” Commissioner Joe Knight said during committee meeting. “It’s over. It’s done. The Supreme Court said, ‘We don’t even think it worth hearing.’” Read more.
U.S. Supreme Court to Decide Whether “Extreme” Partisan Gerrymandering Can, or Should, be Curbed
With protestors rallying outside and a packed house inside, the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday heard arguments over the legality of “extreme” partisan gerrymandering of legislative districts.
The court has taken up a suit, Gill v. Whitford, that alleges partisan gerrymandering in the redrawing of legislative districts in Wisconsin. The court is mulling whether enforceable standards can be set limiting political influence over the drawing of districts. Conservatives on the court are unsure that can be done, while liberals argued that not doing it undercuts the theory of democracy.
Much of Tuesday’s arguments were aimed at Justice Anthony Kennedy, widely considered the swing vote in the case.
The Supreme Court’s decision could have ramifications for legislative districts in Alabama and 20 other states.
In Alabama, legislators drew new House and Senate districts after the 2010 Census, but a court ordered them to redraw 12 districts deemed to be the result of racial gerrymandering.
The issue is whether the redistricting packed too many minority voters in too few districts. Opponents of the plan argue that if fewer black voters – just enough to influence the election – were assigned to more districts, they would have a strong voice in the selection of more legislators.
The Legislature adopted new districting maps this spring that redraw 25 of the 35 Senate districts and 70 of the 105 House districts. Unsatisfied, the Legislative Black Caucus has challenged the plans.
The Supreme Court is expected to hand down its decision in the spring.
BirminghamWatch Coverage
Race and the Alabama Legislature, Volatile Mix in Redrawing Political Map
A Fix for Racial Gerrymandering? Legislators to Debate Whether New Plan Cures Voting District Problems
Legislature OKs Redistricting Plan on Last Day of the Session
National Coverage of U.S. Supreme Court Case
Kennedy’s Vote Is in Play on Voting Maps Warped by Politics (New York Times)
Kennedy is Key to Supreme Court Outcome on Partisan Maps (Associated Press)
What is Gerrymandering? A guide to Understanding the Case Before the Supreme Court (Quartz)
With Wisconsin case, Supreme Court Takes up Partisan Gerrymandering (Christian Science Monitor)
Supreme Court Appears Divided Over Gerrymandering (Wall Street Journal)
Transcript of the Arguments (Wall Street Journal)
Partisan Gerrymandering: How Much Is Too Much? (NPR)
Birmingham Runoff Ballot and Candidate Profiles
Find Your Polling Place
The Birmingham Runoff Ballot and Candidate Profiles
Three Birmingham City Council Seats Are up for Grabs
Voters go to the polls Tuesday to make final decisions on who will fill three Birmingham City Council seats.
No candidates in Districts 2, 5 and 9 received more than half the votes cast in the Aug. 22 elections, and voters Tuesday will choose between the top two vote-getters in the race. Read more.
Neighborhood Revitalization Remains a Defining Issue in Tuesday’s Birmingham City Runoff
• The city is streaming voting results as they come in tonight. Keep up with the numbers here.
• Birmingham city runoff elections are today.
• The mayor’s office, three seats on the City Council and five seats on
the city Board of Education are on the ballot.
• Polls are open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Throughout the Birmingham mayoral race, candidate Randall Woodfin has challenged Mayor William Bell’s record on neighborhood revitalization, contending he has neglected struggling areas of the city in favor of developing the downtown area.
Bell, however, maintains that downtown development should be prioritized over some neighborhoods because it is an economic engine that brings money into the city, though his actions have been both lauded and criticized by various neighborhood officials.
The issue of neighborhood revitalization has remained an issue in the mayoral campaign even as the number of candidates was cut from 12 to two.
Birmingham voters will go to the polls today to finally pick the man who will take over the mayor’s office for the next term. Also on the city runoff ballot are three City Council seats and five city Board of Education seats. Read more.
Birmingham City Runoff Voter Guide
Three Birmingham City Council Seats Are up for Grabs
Getting Media Savvy: Judging the Difference Between Real News and Fake
Almost as if it were planned, news about fake news headlined national media coverage the same day that Alabama media experts and citizens who care about staying informed gathered for a Media Savvy discussion Thursday evening at Birmingham’s Civil Rights Institute.
Aimed at understanding and navigating today’s changing and confusing media landscape, the forum began and ended with “Real News or Fake News?” games, included tips for telling the difference, and featured open discussion by audience members and presenters with decades of news reporting experience.
The event was sponsored by BirminghamWatch and the Alabama Humanities Foundation. The conversation continues next week. Reserve your seat now. The events are free but space is limited. Read more.
