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As part of a yearlong series focused on reforming Alabama’s Constitution, the Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama released a report that explores democracy in Alabama.
In 2022, Alabama finally removed the last of the voting restrictions placed on the state in 1901, but there are still rules in place that make voting in Alabama difficult.
Alabama has ranked in the bottom 15 states for voter turnouts for over a decade. Around 60 percent of eligible voters in Alabama will cast a ballot in a presidential election. In 2022, the general election saw only 37 percent of voters.
While Alabama has made it more accessible to register to vote in recent years, it took some prodding from the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division to implement more avenues for registration.
In 2015, Alabama implemented online voter registration. Registration forms were also placed in driver’s license offices, select public libraries and some government agencies that could be filled out and mailed in.
One of the biggest obstacles in Alabama’s voting process is its rules regarding absentee voting and mail-in ballots. There are few instances in which Alabama will allow a voter to request an absentee ballot, although this practice can increase voter participation.
Being out of the country on the day of an election, illnesses or disabilities preventing a voter from arriving in person or working a required shift of at least 10 hours during polling hours are all valid excuses to request an absentee ballot.
Alabama is one of six states that require not only the voter’s signature but the signature of two witnesses or the signature of a public notary, signifying the voter in question filled out the absentee ballot. In 2022, Alabama had the lowest rate of early or mail-in voting at 3.6 percent.
Voter turnout tends to be higher in states where elections are more competitive. In Alabama, where the Republican party has held the majority of Legislature seats since 2010, interest had diminished. Many candidates run uncontested.
As one of seven states that still permit straight-ticket voting, voters can select to vote for all candidates from one party with a single mark. As a result, voters can avoid critically evaluating each candidate. In 2022, 67 percent of Alabama’s ballots were straight-ticket.
In 24 states, residents can demand referendums be added to a ballot. While the Legislature acts as a check against the masses, Alabamians can feel strongly about a certain issue and never get the chance to put it to a vote.
In Alabama, the majority of residents have stated that they would vote in the affirmative for expanding Medicaid or establishing a state lottery, but it has not made it to the public yet.