People who want to vote absentee now must provide a photo ID to apply for an absentee ballot and have the signatures of two witnesses or a notary to cast the ballot itself. A federal court ruled Tuesday that the state should enforce those requirements. However, the court did say curbside voting should be allowed in Alabama if counties want to offer it. Read more.
The circuit clerk’s office at the Jefferson County Courthouse was closed Monday for Columbus Day, but staffers in the office weren’t taking a holiday. “The absentee staff is working on the mail today, getting out ballots, the ballots that have been returned,” said James P. Naftel II, the presiding probate judge of Jefferson County. “(Columbus Day is) a state holiday and the circuit clerk's office is closed for in-person voting today but it will reopen tomorrow.” It’s been a working weekend of those in the clerk’s office as they have set the stage for what they hope is a more efficient processing of in-person absentee voters. Read more.
The Senate Judiciary Committee is holding hearings on President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, Judge Amy Coney Barrett. Barrett would fill the seat left vacant with the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Watch the hearings live Monday-Wednesday at 8 a.m. Central on WBHM’s website. This special coverage will preempt WBHM’s regular schedule.
Let’s say two boys in an Alabama school get in trouble for doing the same thing. One is named DeAndre. The other is named Jake. DeAndre, who is black, is more than three times as likely as Jake, who is white, to end up suspended or expelled or in the custody of the police. That’s what statistics have shown over time, leading to DeAndre – or any black student – being far more likely to be tracked onto what education experts have described as the “school-to-prison pipeline.” “The school-to-prison pipeline deprives students of color of their futures by pushing them out of school and its pathway to college and careers and into the juvenile and criminal justice systems,” the National Education Association says in a report. Read more.
Jefferson County Commissioner Lashunda Scales gave absentee voters some cautionary advice during Thursday’s commission meeting, but county attorney Theo Lawson said her concern is unwarranted. Scales suggested that absentee voters continue to send in copies of their identification and have the signatures of two witnesses to avoid the possibility their vote would not be counted if a recent federal judge’s ruling is overturned. Lawson said that caution is unnecessary. Read more.
Corrected — Help is on the way to deal with a flood of Jefferson County absentee ballots in the general election. Deputy county manager Cal Markert during a Jefferson County Commission meeting Thursday said 24 temporary workers are expected to start work in the clerk’s office by Monday. These temp workers will deal with in-person absentee voters as well as a backlog of mailed-in absentee ballots. Circuit Clerk Jacqueline Anderson-Smith told BirminghamWatch recently that 400 to 500 persons have been coming to the Birmingham Courthouse every day to cast their ballots. A similar wave of voters is descending on the Bessemer Courthouse, and lines of people wanting to vote have formed at both locations. Alabama appears on its way to having a record number of absentee ballots cast this year. More than 130,000 voters already had requested absentee ballots earlier this week. Oct. 29 is the deadline to apply for absentee ballots. Read more.
The rate of new COVID-19 cases in Alabama is staying fairly level while the death rate is drifting downward slightly as the pandemic enters its seventh month. BirminghamWatch’s weekly analysis of data reported by the Alabama Department of Public Health shows the 7-day moving average of new cases for the period ending Wednesday stands at 959.57 per day, down from 1,076.86 cases per day on Sept. 30. The longer 14-day average has stayed relatively steady and is now at 1,018.93, an increase of more than 38 cases per day over the past week. Read more.
As metro Birmingham school systems learn to cope with the COVID-19 outbreak, many of them are changing back to traditional class schedules, or at least something closer to it. In general, many systems that began with only virtual learning to start the year already have moved toward allowing students back on campus, at least part time. The Jefferson County School System, for instance, is in the midst of a staggered plan to get students back to school in person full time. Others plan to reassess their schedules at the end of the first nine-week grading period, late this month. Read more and look up your school district.
Infectious disease doctors at UAB said Tuesday they’re still looking for COVID-19 patients to join a number of clinical trials. Currently, UAB is offering both inpatient and outpatient trials ranging from vaccines to treatments aimed at lessening the effects of the virus. Dr. Sonya Heath, a professor of medicine in UAB’s Division of Infectious Diseases,
Deputy county manager Cal Markert said the strategic plan he presented to county commissioners at their committee meeting Tuesday morning is a roadmap for the county. “It also sets clear direction for the county as a whole,” Markert said after presenting the 25-page document. “It sets clear direction for each department. Each department has created their own plan that supports this master plan.” Accountability is key, he said. The strategic plan includes a system for residents and employees to grade their experiences, and it includes a system to map damage to roads, so the county can address the worst roads first. Read more.
