Gov. Bill Lee has signed a measure to strike down a 1972 law that prohibited mid-decade redistricting, a mere hour after the bill cleared the Republican supermajority in the statehouse. Heeding a call from President Donald Trump, state Republicans are altering Tennessee law and the timeline for its elections to give the GOP another seat in Congress.
Lawmakers worked quickly Thursday morning to get the bill to the governor as the legislature speeds towards a final vote on new congressional maps that will take effect before the midterms in November.
The proposed maps, unveiled 24 hours before the start of Thursday’s session, would split Memphis’s majority-Black voting bloc into three Republican majority districts.
Lee called this week’s special session on redistricting a few days after a U.S. Supreme Court decision undid protections for Memphis.
On Air - 90.3 WPLN-FM