Perry County voters go back to the polls Tuesday, Aug. 11, in a special primary election for the 7th Congressional District, and the votes many of them cast in that race on May 19 no longer count.
The May 19 primary results for U.S. House Districts 1, 2, 6 and 7 were voided. Gov. Kay Ivey scheduled the replacement primaries for Aug. 11 after the U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way for Alabama to redraw its congressional map in the middle of the election cycle.
The chain of events began April 29, when the Supreme Court decided Louisiana v. Callais. That 6-3 ruling required people challenging district maps as racially discriminatory to prove intentional discrimination, a higher standard than before. The Legislature then met in special session, and the Supreme Court in May lifted a lower-court order that had blocked the state from using a 2023 map that a federal court had previously found to be a racial gerrymander.
Only one race will be decided here. Two Republicans, Ammie Akin and David Perry, are on the Aug. 11 Republican ballot for the 7th District nomination. On the Democratic side, incumbent U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell was the only candidate to qualify, so she does not appear on a primary ballot at all.
Voters do not register by party in Alabama and may ask for either party’s ballot on Aug. 11. The ballot chosen in May does not restrict that choice in August.
Akin, 44, of Birmingham, is a former educator and co-founder of the nonprofit Hub in the Hills. She holds a bachelor’s degree in special education from the University of Alabama and a doctorate from Samford University. She has not run for office before, and said in an interview with the Alabama Reflector that education, affordability and crime are her three priorities.
Perry, 63, of Selma, is a retired pastor. He was the Republican nominee for State Board of Education District 5 in 2024. He told the Reflector he is running because the district ranks poorly on poverty, crime and economic growth, and said a coalition of Republicans and moderate Democrats could flip the seat.
The winner faces Sewell in the general election. Sewell, of Selma, is seeking a ninth term. No Republican has held the seat since James Martin left it in 1966, and Sewell has taken more than 60 percent of the vote in every contested general election since she was first elected in 2010.
Polls are open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Voters must present a valid photo ID. Polling places are unchanged. The deadline to register for this election was Monday, July 27, and has passed.
Absentee applications must reach the absentee election manager by mail no later than Tuesday, Aug. 4, or be delivered in person by Thursday, Aug. 6. Completed absentee ballots must be hand-delivered by close of business Monday, Aug. 10, or received by mail no later than noon on Aug. 11.
Voters can confirm registration status and polling place at myinfo.alabamavotes.gov or by calling the Perry County Probate Office. Absentee ballot questions go to the county absentee election manager.
