State House District 54 Candidate Name: Joseph Casper Baker III Party: Independent Age: 37 Residence: Birmingham Political experience: None Professional experience: Information Technology specialist, event production and logistics. Civic experience: Founder of I Believe in Birmingham; City of Birmingham Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee member; former board member, Redemptive Cycles; former secretary, Free the Hops; lead
Alabama House of Representatives, District 44 Candidate: Danny Garrett Party: Republican Age: 56 Residence: Trussville Political experience: Member, Alabama House of Representatives, District 44, 2014-present; former vice president, Trussville City Schools Board of Education. Professional experience: Chief financial officer, Signature Homes, 2016-2018; chief financial officer, Vulcan Steel Products, 2009-2016; president/CFO, Summit Products, LLC, 2007-2009; Senior
Alabama House of Representatives, District 54 Neil Rafferty Democrat: Democrat Residence: Crestwood North Professional experience: Has worked with Birmingham AIDS Outreach since 2013, including as B-CHIP program director since 2017 and education and prevention coordinator since 2015; membership services representative, MedjetAssist, 2011-2013; English and composition teacher, self-employed, 2011; corporal, U.S. Marine Corps, 2005-2009. Civic experience:
Alabama House District 56 Louise”Lulu” Alexander Party: Democrat Age: 58 Residence: Bessemer Political experience: Bessemer City Council, 1998-2010; Alabama House of Representatives, District 56, 2014-present; member, Alabama Democratic Party, member, Democratic Executive Committee. Professional experience: U.S. Army, 1978-1988; U.S. Postal Service, 1989-1993; executive secretary, Law Center of Civil and Criminal Justice, 1995-1998; owner, Alexander Unity
Office: Alabama House District 59 Party: Democratic Age: 69 Residence: North Birmingham, ACIPCO Finley Political experience: Member, Birmingham School Board, 1998-2002; Alabama House of Representatives, 2002-present. Professional experience: Medical technologist, Veteran’s Administration Hospital, 1970-2000. Civic experience: Past President, ACIPCO Finley Neighborhood, 1993; member, Birmingham Industrial Water Board, 1990-1994; member, Birmingham Trade Mart; community advocate for education, people’s rights and efforts
Alabama House District 58 Rolanda Hollis Residence: Birmingham Political experience: Elected Alabama House of Representative District 58, 2017-present. Professional experience: Alabama House of Representative District 58, 2017-present. real estate broker, Sil-Loh Metro Realty Brokers, LLC, current; real estate broker, 10 plus years. Main issues: According to her campaign website, accountability of elected officials in Montgomery
Office: Governor Party: Democratic Age: 45 Residence: Tuscaloosa Political offices held: Mayor, Tuscaloosa, 2005-present; city councilor, sixth district, Tuscaloosa, 2001-2005. Professional experience: Field director, Alabama Education Association; executive director of personnel, Tuscaloosa City Schools. Education: University of Alabama at Birmingham, master’s degree, public administration; University of Alabama at Birmingham, bachelor’s degree in political science; Central High School, 1991. Civic
Alabama House of Representatives, District 55 Roderick “Rod” Hampton Scott (incumbent) Party: Democrat Residence: Fairfield Political experience: Elected to the Alabama House of Representatives first in 2006. Professional experience: Professor, Miles College; member Alabama House of Representatives, 2006-present. Education: Master’s in business administration, Dartmouth College, Amos Tuck School of Business Administration; bachelor’s in economics, Yale
Republican Tom Parker raised more than twice as much as Democrat Robert Vance last week in their race for Alabama chief justice, according to reports filed Monday with the Secretary of State’s Office. Read more.
Since last year, Lorenzo French said, he’s helped about 50 people in rural Greene County regain their ability to vote.
Many of them were improperly removed from voter rolls because they had a felony conviction, though not the type that should have banned them from voting, French said. Others didn’t have photo identification, a requirement to vote in Alabama since 2014.
“That’s my job,” French, chair of the Greene County Democrats, said. “To find the people who can’t vote, find out why they can’t and reestablish them.”
More Alabamians are registered to vote than ever before and more ballots were cast in this year’s gubernatorial primaries than in 2010 contests, but some pockets of the state have seen decreases, including Greene County and 10 others where there are now fewer black registered voters.
That is because of changes in population, not policy, the state’s top election official said.
Lecia Brooks, outreach director for the Southern Poverty Law Center, said she also is concerned about technicalities keeping Alabamians from voting. Maybe their polling place changed or they’ve been placed on an inactive voter list.
“They’re registered, they’re ready to vote and they show up on election day and they’re sent away,” she said.
Changes — including the ID law, a decrease in polling places and purging of voter rolls — have been allowed without federal review since 2013, when in Shelby County, Ala. v. Holder, the U.S. Supreme Court threw out a portion of the federal voting rights law that required changes in voting procedures in some states and local governments to be approved by the U.S. Department of Justice.
“All of these things would have had to be approved or given greater scrutiny,” Brooks said. Read more.
Read more election-related coverage:
Are You Ready to Vote?
Ivey Still Leads Maddox in Fundraising; See Contributions in Other Statewide Races
Ivey Says Lottery Approval Is up to Legislature, Voters
“It’s Just Plum Sad:” Ivey Disputes Reports of Health Issues, Chastises Maddox Campaign
The Year of Firsts: Freshman Candidates Find the Campaign Trail Grueling, Expensive and Rewarding
Contributions in Top Races Last Week
