蜜桃传媒

MONTGOMERY, Ala. 鈥� Despite Alabama鈥檚 historic role in the voting rights movement, it remains one of the most difficult states for an eligible voter to register and successfully cast a ballot, according to a report released today by the Southern Poverty Law Center (蜜桃传媒).听
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As neighboring states have expanded access to the ballot box, Alabama鈥檚 laws and policies create and perpetuate obstacles, particularly for communities of color, according to the report, Alive and Well: Voter Suppression and Election Mismanagement in Alabama. The report compiles for the first time a close look at the myriad tactics and harms of modern-day voter suppression in Alabama.
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In Alabama, those tactics include passing and implementing a photo voter ID law, maintaining a burdensome and discriminatory restoration scheme for those with felony convictions, closing polling places in predominantly Black counties, and purging hundreds of thousands of voters from the voter rolls. These policies, like others rolled out across the country, came after the 2013 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Shelby County v. Holder gutted Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. This powerful provision was utilized by the U.S. Justice Department more than 100 times to block proposed voting changes in Alabama specifically that would have had a discriminatory impact on voters of color.
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鈥淎fter all the blood, sweat and tears Alabamians have shed for the right to vote, the state should be a model for how to expand access to the ballot,鈥� said Nancy Abudu, 蜜桃传媒 deputy legal director. 鈥淚nstead, Jim Crow continues to cast a long shadow on the state鈥檚 election system, which remains 鈥� by design 鈥� a confusing and opaque system filled with obstacles to voting for communities of color. Voter suppression is alive and well in Alabama.鈥�
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The report highlights how the state鈥檚 fragmented election administration system makes it difficult to hold officials responsible for failures on Election Day because duties are spread among a web of officials at the state and local levels.听
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The lack of transparency isn鈥檛 confined to Election Day, the report found. Election administration bodies hold few open meetings, and the state鈥檚 open records laws are among the weakest in the nation. What鈥檚 more, a copy of the state鈥檚 voter file costs approximately $35,000. The steep price tag puts the file out of reach for most Alabamians and organizations interested in data about voting in Alabama 鈥� including verifying the state鈥檚 . 听听
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The report, which traces the history of voting rights in Alabama after Reconstruction into the modern era, also explores the state鈥檚 treatment of eligible voters with previous felony convictions. When Alabama, for example, passed reform legislation in 2017 to clarify the crimes that disenfranchise people convicted of a felony, the legislation not only failed to alleviate confusion, but the secretary of state鈥檚 office refused to take any serious steps to educate the public about the change. Half of all states have laws requiring people to be notified about the reinstatement or loss of their voting rights 鈥� but not Alabama. The state 鈥� among the poorest in the nation 鈥� also conditions the right to vote on a person鈥檚 wealth, preventing re-enfranchisement following certain felony convictions until all legal financial obligations are paid off.听
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Rather than focus on desperately needed reform, Alabama鈥檚 political leaders continue to promote the myth of voter fraud despite research providing . The 蜜桃传媒 report urges lawmakers to adopt no-excuse absentee voting, early voting, vote by mail, same-day registration, automatic voter registration and voting rights restoration. Similarly, Alabama must make the state鈥檚 voter file a public document, create more opportunities for public participation in election administration, and establish uniform, statewide responsibilities for election operations.听
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鈥淎labama makes it hard to vote, but the problems are easy to fix,鈥� Abudu said. 鈥淲hen taken together, the reform policies we lay out are proven strategies for creating a healthier, more representative democracy. Alabama should pursue these policies not only because it is in the best interest of voters to be able to access the ballot box, but also because it will modernize and ensure the integrity of Alabama鈥檚 elections.鈥�
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The full report is available at: www.splcenter.org/20200203/alive-and-well-voter-suppression-and-election-mismanagement-alabama听