The League of Women Voters of Alabama will host “A Conversation: Early Voting in Alabama,” a public online forum on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. via Zoom, to discuss the lack of early voting in the state.
The event’s panel will include Alabama state Reps. Adline Clark, D- Mobile; and Thomas E. Jackson, D- Thomasville; and Sam Duff, voting rights policy strategist for the American Civil Liberties Union of Alabama. Jackson has filed House Bill 59 for the upcoming legislative session, which would require all Alabama counties to have “at least one early voting center to be open during the week immediately preceding election day, which would allow registered voters to vote prior to election day.”
While Alabama does allow for absentee voting, early voting differs from absentee, lacking an affidavit and a requirement for a “valid excuse,” making Alabama one of only three states to not allow the practice. Early voting makes voting more accessible for those with a busy schedule, a problem that the Legal Defense Fund says especially afflicts women.
“With early voting, you would actually go in, fill your ballot out, stick it into the tabulator, and it would be counted, just like you would on Election Day,” Kathy Jones, president of the LWV of Alabama, told CBS 42. She also voiced concerns about how innocuous mistakes on the legal paperwork in traditional absentee voting could cause ballots to be invalidated.“The lack of early voting consistently impacts voter turnout, according to exit polling and interviews with voters,” the LWV said in a press release. “Alabama’s voter turnout continues to be significantly lower than the national average.”
The Voter, the LWV’s newsletter, cited statistics putting Alabama voter turnout almost 10% below the national average. Voter turnout in the 2024 election was the lowest since George H. W. Bush v. Michael Dukakis in 1988.
Early voting has faced strong resistance in Alabama, however, as critics argue it opens opportunities for fraud. In an event hosted by the UA Republicans, Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen decried potential voting fraud and voiced opposition to early voting, saying he believed “in Election Day, not Election Season.”
“This forum will be an excellent opportunity to learn more about what early voting is, why it is needed, and how Alabamians can communicate with legislators to pass an Early Voting Bill in 2025,” the LWV said in a press release.
The LWV is a nonpartisan organization that aims to promote women’s suffrage and generally expand voting rights. The Alabama chapter has been involved in activism surrounding local election policy, including joining a lawsuit filed against Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen, Attorney General Steve Marshall and the state’s 42 district attorneys for voter discrimination. Recently, the organization has focused on supporting a bill to enshrine early voting in state law.
Participants can register to receive a Zoom invitation for the virtual event.
