Tag: voting
Alabama Ranks 46th in Ease of Voting: PARCA Report
UPDATED — Alabama trails the nation in terms of convenience and access to the ballot — ranking 46th in ease of voting — according to a recent report released by the Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama.
PARCA found that reasons for the state’s high cost for voting include a lack of early in-person voting, restrictive absentee voting requirements and a lack of automatic voter registration. Read more.
Secretary of State Investigating Bessemer for Potential Voter Fraud
While rumors of election fraud or irregularities have lingered in the city for years, Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill confirmed to WBHM his office is looking into allegations of voter fraud in Bessemer this election cycle. Read more.
Citing Population Loss, Old Facilities, Alabama Counties Continue to Cut Voting Precincts
Decisions about polling places in Alabama are up to county officials. A 2013 U.S. Supreme Court decision, Shelby County, Ala., v. Holder, eliminated the requirement for any changes in voting procedures in Alabama and several other states to be approved by the U.S. Department of Justice. Since 2010, 31 Alabama counties have closed 155 voting precincts. Read more.
JeffCo Commission Indicates It Will Look for Alternate Absentee Voting Space After Clerk Alleges Voter Suppression
Bessemer Absentee Voting Clerk Karen Dunn Burks had a hug for every member of the Jefferson County Commission present after the panel settled on a resolution to a contentious disagreement over where absentee voting will take place in Bessemer.
During its meeting Tuesday at the Bessemer Justice Center, commissioners moved to Thursday’s meeting agenda a plan for absentee voting to continue in the ceremonial courtroom in the basement of the justice center while the offices of the county manager and general services explore the possibility of moving the office to the second floor.
Burks last week accused Jefferson County government of voter suppression because of plans to move her office from the courtroom basement to another office also in the basement. She contended the plan created unfair conditions and accommodations for voters and was inhumane.
After Tuesday’s meeting, Burks said, “I feel very hopeful. I feel very good. Read more.
County Election Official Contends Moving Office Is Voter Suppression
Bessemer Absentee Voting Clerk Karen Dunn Burks accused Jefferson County government of voter suppression in moving her office from the ceremonial courtroom in the basement of the Bessemer Justice Center to office space there. Read more.
Birmingham Asks Public to Consider Proposed New Council and BOE District Lines
The Birmingham City Council is considering the approval of new City Council and Board of Education district lines, redrawn to take into account population shifts shown by the 2020 census.
City law mandates that districts be redrawn after each census to make sure that Birmingham’s population is evenly distributed among them. Each district elects a member of the City Council and the school board. The proposed changes would be in effect for the next two municipal elections, in 2025 and 2029.
The council held a public hearing March 29 to hear residents’ thoughts on the new district maps, and tweaks could be made based on those comments.
The proposal would shift territory out of relatively overpopulated districts — Districts 1 and 2, for example — and into underpopulated districts — Districts 4, 6, 8 and 9. Read more and see the full proposal.
Legislature’s Differences on Election Legislation Reflect a National Divide
MONTGOMERY — In the wake of the 2020 elections, measures to change voting procedures and regulations have been introduced at the federal and state levels, revealing a deep partisan divide over how voting should work.
While Democrats in Congress are pushing legislation that would limit states’ ability to enact strict voting requirements, Republicans in state legislatures are considering bills to tighten voting regulations in the name of securing voter integrity.
Alabama has followed suit, as a number of election-centered bills have been introduced during the ongoing 2021 regular session. Around 32 bills from both Democrats and Republicans introduced this year have dealt with Alabama election law.
Some of the conservative measures have drawn sharp concern from Democrats saying the bills promote voter suppression and are in reaction to President Donald Trump’s false accusations of widespread voter fraud during the 2020 election.
Read more.
More from the Legislature:
Bills Would Limit Cities’ Gas Tax Spending
Senator Looking for Fix on Tax-Filing Interest Issue
Some Prisoners Invited to Vote by Absentee Ballot for the First Time This Year
Valentine’s Day took on new meaning Friday as members of five organizations continued their tour to get persons in jail and prison registered to vote by absentee ballot in the upcoming primary and beyond.
“What we did (Friday) – and have been doing – is registering eligible voters inside of our jails and our prisons,” said Rodreshia Russaw, co-executive director of The Ordinary People Society. “We have made history in 2020 where it’s actually on the absentee ballot (application) that they can register inside of prison.” Read more.
Space Set Aside for Absentee Voting at Downtown Birmingham Courthouse
Jefferson County has prepared a new space at the courthouse for persons to cast absentee ballots for the March 3 presidential primaries. Read more.
New SPLC Report Claims Voter Suppression ‘Alive and Well’ in Alabama
MONTGOMERY – A Southern Poverty Law Center report released Monday claims voter suppression is “alive and well” in Alabama and calls for several reform measures.
But state officials pushed back on the criticism, saying Alabama has made great gains in registering and turning out voters.
Caren Short, a senior staff attorney with SPLC, told Alabama Daily News that Alabama ranks low among Southern states in protecting voting rights.
“We make voting pretty hard and we don’t have a lot of easy reforms that could make voting simple for people,” Short said. Read more.
