Two states recently revised their election calendars: Alabama scheduled special primary elections this year for four congressional districts, and New Hampshire moved its statewide and congressional primaries to June beginning in 2028.

On May 12, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey (R) announced that special primaries will happen on Aug. 11 for four of the state's seven congressional districts. Primaries for the three other congressional districts, which are unchanged under the new maps, will remain on May 19.

The special primaries will take place for voters in Alabama's 1st, 2nd, 6th, and 7th congressional districts. The filing deadline for major party candidates is May 22, and the filing deadline for independent and minor party candidates is Aug. 11.

The announcement comes on the heels of the U.S. Supreme Court vacating a lower court ruling, which had blocked Alabama from using a set of congressional maps enacted in 2023 during redistricting litigation. A court-appointed special master drew a different set of maps that were used in the 2024 elections. Ivey signed HB 1 on May 8, which authorized the special elections in the districts drawn by the Legislature in 2023.

In a statement, Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall (R) said he supported the ruling and redistricting efforts, saying that “the Supreme Court confirmed our long-held argument that States must not use race, either to help or to harm particular voters, when drawing voting districts.”

Critics of the Supreme Court’s ruling have asked a federal district court judge to keep the previous maps in place, stating in a court filing that using new districts “when this election is already underway, absentee ballots have been mailed, and every relevant deadline under state and federal law has long since passed, is contrary to the public interest."

In New Hampshire, Gov. Kelly Ayotte (R) signed House Bill 481 on May 8, moving up the primary date for statewide and congressional elections from the second Tuesday in September to the second Tuesday in June. The state's presidential primary date will not be affected by the move.

Supporters of the primary date change argue that there is currently a short time between the September statewide primary and the general election in November, which they say benefits current officeholders. Rep. Ross Berry (R) said in April that "the incumbent protection act, which is our current system, is coming to a close." New Hampshire Secretary of State David Scanlan (R) said changing the September date could be helpful for election officials, as the August date could reduce the time available for officials to prepare general election ballots for military and overseas voters.

Others opposed changing the statewide primary to June and instead favored House Bill 408, which would have moved the primary to August. State Rep. Timothy Horrigan (D), a cosponsor of HB 408, said that a June election would necessitate a March candidate ballot access deadline and that candidates “haven’t even decided what they want to do over the next two years by March.” Scanlan said he preferred the August election date because municipal elections would overlap with a June primary.

New Hampshire is the third state to enact legislation related to primary election dates in 2026, after Arizona and Rhode Island.