ATHENS — The Limestone County chapter of the NAACP held an emergency press conference in Athens on Thursday, Oct. 28, to express their displeasure with the redistricting proposal brought forward by the Limestone County Commission.

The portion of the proposal the NAACP is unhappy with is the redrawing of the Limestone County lines that would impact people in District 3 by moving them into District 4.

Leaders of the NAACP said that the County Commission is attempting to dilute the African American vote in District 3, the district with the highest African American population. According to numbers provided by the NAACP, District 3 would see its Black population decrease from 20 percent to 17 percent, a decrease of more than 1,500 people, with most moving to District 4.

However, the non-Hispanic white population is expected to increase by 2 percent under the current proposal.

“We think that this is an intentional dilution of the black vote. Packing and cracking, plain and simple,” said Limestone NAACP President Wilbert L. Woodruff. “And (they) are in violation of section 2 and section 5 of the voting rights act and may warrant legal actions.”

“Packing” is when lines are redrawn that disproportionately puts a minority group into one district with a high population of the same minority group, which decreases their influence in other districts. “Cracking” involves redrawing district lines that spreads out a minority group thin over all districts or puts them into a district with a low population of the minority group in order to prevent them from having a large voting bloc in a particular district.

President of the Alabama NAACP Benard Simelton said that the federal courts may have to get involved if their grievances are not properly addressed and the map not reconsidered. He also wants the County Commission to consider a cumulative voting process where African Americans could elect a person of their choice.

“Chilton County did this several years ago, the city of Pleasant Grove did this for city council elections a couple of years ago and Limestone County should do it now.”

The Limestone NAACP also has requests to bring before the county commission before the hearing about the proposal on Monday, Nov. 1:

• Delay the vote on the redistricting proposal until a later date

• Hold a meeting with the NAACP to discuss redistricting

• Start the process over

• Restore the 1,500 African Americans to District 3

• Leave District 3 intact unless there is a way to increase the black population within District 3

• Increase the number of districts in the county from 4 to 6 or 7 and create a majority minority district

• Admit that the County Commission is in violation of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Steps have already been made with some of the requests, as County Commission Chairman Collin Daly sat down with the NAACP on Friday to discuss the ongoing situation.

The County Commission also responded to a letter written by the NAACP addressed to the commission.

While legal actions have been discussed, the NAACP said they are willing to work with the commission towards a peaceful resolution.

“We are willing to work towards a fair map with you,” Diane Steele, Political Action Chair of the NAACP, said during the press conference. “We extend the olive branch. The NAACP never takes a stance that we aren’t going to work alongside people.”

Members of the NAACP chapter, including Kenneth Hines, believe this redrawing of the district is “not an accident.”

“Each Limestone County Commissioner was wrong when he voted to propose this redistricting plan,” Hines said. “If they believe their error is trivial, then we are fortunate that they can easily correct it.”

However, Daly says there was no nefarious motivation when the County Commission, aided by the county engineer Marc Massey, made the proposals. According to Daly, what really mattered were the road miles for each district and how districts are financially impacted by the decision.

“We tried not to look at it anyway politically,” Daly said. “I have to look at it from what’s best for the whole county.”

Daly also added that the proposed map drawn up by the NAACP is one of the many scenarios the County Commission considered. 


“We looked at every scenario out there,” Daly said.

However, NAACP members are not sold on the lack of political motivations by the county.

“This is just another day in the life of racism,” Steele said.

The NAACP ended the press conference by encouraging the public to call their county commissioners and urged the public to attend the hearing on Monday at 9 a.m.