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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 17, 2020
www.lwval.org
 CONTACT:
Barbara Caddell, President
League of Women Voters of Alabama
barbara.caddell@gmail.com
251.610.2279
 

League of Women Voters of Alabama Requests Court Order to Make Voting Safer All Year

LWVAL asks election officials to modify some election processes

#VoteSafeAL

 
Montgomery, Alabama - Today the League of Women Voters of Alabama (LWVAL) asked for a court order requiring Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill, Governor Kay Ivey, and county election officials to provide specific protections for voter health during this time of pandemic. The League’s motion for the court to order immediate action comes in the context of the lawsuit it filed three weeks ago, given the severity of the current health crisis and the time frame of Alabama elections. The League of Women Voters is a non-partisan organization that registers and educates voters and works to improve public policy.

The lawsuit asks election officials to make common-sense modifications to the voting process for all Alabama elections in 2020. These modifications track the recommendations made by the CDC to prevent the spread of COVID 19 during elections.  They include:
  • Permit effective “no excuse” absentee voting for all elections in 2020.
  • Amend the application for an absentee ballot to advise voters that they may lawfully obtain one if they are concerned about COVID 19.
  • Suspend the requirement that a copy of the voter’s photo ID be included with the voter’s application for an absentee ballot.
  • Suspend the statutory time deadlines for absentee voting so that a voter can apply for an absentee ballot up to the day of election and have that ballot counted if it is delivered or postmarked by election day.
  • Allow canvassing boards to begin counting absentee ballots before election day.
  • Provide adequate personal protective equipment for clerks and poll workers as well as disinfection for polling equipment.
  • Provide in-person voters with masks and disposable pens.
  • Implement social distancing procedures and authorize early voting at least 14 days before election day.
  • Authorize drive-up voting.
  • Authorize local election officials to establish vote centers and relax restrictions on wrong- precinct voting.
  • Provide local election officials the financial resources to implement these emergency measures.

The LWVAL believes these measures are essential and that Alabama’s Constitution requires its courts to protect Alabamians during both municipal elections and the Presidential Election in November, while the threat from the Coronavirus remains high. Absentee voting must be expanded with safeguards tailored to these tumultuous times in order to reduce the number of people who line up in close proximity at polling places to vote in person. The lawsuit also asks the court to require that clear safety plans be made sufficiently in advance of elections to protect in-person voting, following the guidance provided by the Centers for Disease Control. Early, in-person voting and curbside voting will protect both election workers and voters by making social distancing possible for in-person voting.

Barbara Caddell, President of the League of Women Voters of Alabama, said: “No one should have to choose between exercising their right to vote and protecting their health and that of their families.  Our public officials should use the emergency powers they already have to make Alabama’s 2020 elections safe for all Alabamians.  If they won’t, we call on the courts to order them to do so.”

“One hundred years ago the nonpartisan League of Women Voters was founded to protect and preserve the right to vote and the integrity of the electoral process.  The unexpected risks posed by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 (COVID19) challenge our election system to the utmost.  Today, we ask that Alabama’s courts use Alabama’s laws to make it safe and possible for all citizens to vote.”

The League of Women Voters is represented by James U. Blacksher and Augusta S. Dowd.

Read the full motion.



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About the League of Women Voters of Alabama
The League of Women Voters of Alabama is a nonpartisan organization encouraging informed and active participation in government, increased understanding of major public policy issues, and which seeks to influence public policy through education and advocacy


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