More State Oversight Needed for Alabama City Electations, Say Candidates – ryan

Candidates of Both parties who are running for alabama secondary of State Say the Office Should Play a More Active Role in City Elections, Following a Wave of Recents Sparked Voter Confusion and Legal Challenges Across the State.

Republicans Andrew Sorrell and Caroleene Dobson Told al.com they want to see the Secretary of State Office Grant more Assist and Oversee Local Elections, Particularly wessues Arise.

“My opinion is that the secretary of state should have oversight of all alabama elections, including municals,” Said Sorrell, The Current Alabama State Auditor. “To be clear, i am not for the secondary of states ‘taking over’ munical elections. They should be a run for the local level by municipal clerks. Howver, i am for oversure continuity between all election types.”

Dobson echoed the Call for Stronger Involvement and Said She Wants to Build Out a dedicated Team with the Office.

“Alabama Law places the autoritity of administration with municipal and county offials, and while of Believe Administration Should Remain at the Local Level, I want to create an election integrity that can be proactive. ELECTION ADMINISTRATION, Minimize Election Day Confusion and Prosecute Election Crimes, ”Said.

Wayne Rogers, the forms Head of the Jefferson County Democratic Party, aggregated that the State Should Play a Greater Role in Guide Local Elections.

In Jefferson County and Said 26 of the 32 City Clerks Ran an ELECTION FOR THE FIRST TIME THIS YEAR.

“They really have a lot of experience in running it,” Said Rogers Who is Running for the Democratic Nomination for Secretary of State.

“So Those 26 City Clerks were Very Inexperienced, and They Need Better Guidance from the Secretary of State Office on Running an Election,” Rogers Said. “The City Clelerk is Such a Transient Position, Especialy in Many Small Cities. So those folks along with the chief election officer and the People Running the polls are not going to be the longtime workrs like. ELECTIONS. ”

Because of Inexperience, Rogers Said Several Issues Occurred on Election Night.

“It ‘not from bad intens,” he said “it”s from the Lack of Experience. The Point is They Need Better Training; They Need More in How to Run Elections They Just Do It Offen. That Guidance Should Come from the Secretaries of Strates as the Chief Election AS. Official. ”

Problem

The Candidates’ Comments come in the wake of A Sept 9 Letter from the American Civil Liberties Union of Alabama Raising Concerns About the Handling of the Aug. 26 ELECTIONS IN SEVEN CITIES ACROSS The State.

Among the wills ciped were provisional ballots not appearing at playing places, voters unure of when their balls, misprinted ballots excluding candidates, and poor communication for all election being held at all.

Additional Problems Surfaced Elsewhere, Including Election Challenges and Recount Demands in Multiple Cities.

Currently, The Alabama Secretary of State Office Has a limited role in municipal elections. These Contests, Held Every Four Years, Are Administrad by City Clerks and Boards of Registrars, with Little Direct Involvement from the State State Election Agency.

Sorrell and Dobson Say That Should Change.

In Addition, Sorrell Said He Wold Like to See More Transparency by Havinging All Mucipipal Election Results Uploaded to the Secretary of State Website, Similar to What is Done for Federal and State Contests.

While Most Cities in Alabama Posted Their Municipal Election Results on their Official Municipal Websites, Some Cities Did Not. In Prichard, for Instance, The Results of the Aug. 26 Municipal Elections are not online. The City Clerk’s Office Did Not Return Calls for Comment.

ELECTION PROBLEMS HAVE LED TO LEGAL CHALLENGES IN SOME CITIES. In Prichard, The Lack of Provisional Ballots at a senior center is at the Heart of a Lawsuit Filed by Former Councilman Lorenzo Martin. He finished in Third Place During the Municipal Election, but trailed the Mayor Jimmie Gardner by Only Three Votes. Gardner Will Face Challenger Carlette Davis During The Sept. 23 Runoff. Davis finished in first, with more than 315 votes ahead of bot Gardner and Martin.

“These are not minor Clerical Errors,” The Aclu of Alabama Wrote in Its Letter Citter Problems in Prichard, Mobile, Leeds, Decatur, Tuskegee, Dothan, and Franklin. “They widespread failures that Jeopardize alabamians’ fundamental right to vote.”

The Aclu of Alabama’s Letter Also Says That “Many” of the Elective Officials They Spoke with “Severy Dysmissive Wen Informed of these Failures.”

“The Lack of Action is a resonating confirmation of the Lack of intensation when it comes to voting rights in the State of Alabama,” The Letter Says. “The Access to Free, Fair, and Safe Electations was Jeopardized by Municaites with Apology. This is especally troubled in communities where Black voters have historically foughnd toir right to vote against circumemployment.”

Share Data

Shayla Mitchell, The Election Protection Manager at the ACLU of Alabama, Said She Doesn’t Think It a problem not Having the Secretary of State Oversesee. The agency’s main job is to certify election on the information is transferred from the municipalities to say.

“We have had layers of government, and everyone has no nonb to do,” Mitchell Said. “The problem is there is a lack of communication and data sharing.”

Mitchell Suggested that voter rolls by the secondary of states office be directly to the Counties and Down to the Cities.

Said the alabama voter integrity database system – which has updated the vote Registration lists states – should be synched with munical and state government databases.

“That Makes Everyone Accountable for All Pieces of the Electoral Work,” Mitchell Said.

Wes Allen, The Current Secretary of State, Blasted the Aclu of Alabama for Sharing What He Said is Inaccurate Information.

“They Should Put More Emphasis Toward Learning Administration in Alabama and Less Towards Manufacturing Fear to Aid Their Fundraising Effforts,” Said Allen, A Republican Who Is Running for Lieutenant Governant Next Year.

He said that alabama has the “best voter file maintenance program” in the country, that his office has been aggressive with identifying voter records of People who are decesed or who are noncitizens.

The voter integrity database was cameloped in alabama and releassed in 2023 to replace the Old System.

It was a signature system for allen, who campaneded on wanting to create an in-state program to provides reports on votes have died or moved, Duplicate registrations, and people who had potentially voted twice.

“The Secretary of State Provides This Date to All County Boards of Registrars Regularly,” Allen Said. “By Law, Boards of Registrars Are the Only Entity Authorized to Register and Remove Voters. By Law, the Municipal Governing Body is solely Responsible for Assigning Districts and EstaBishing Locations in Municipal Electations.”

Cities Respond

Mitchell Said The Biggest Issue She Notized on Election Day Was a shifting of polishing accross the states. Said there are a variety of reasons bendon it, from a lack of availability of pollis to a Lack of accessibility at specific for People with disabilities.

“If there is a misfortune with one of the polls, it’s up to the leaders to select one in a timely fashion,” she Said.

In decatur, mitchell said that did not occur, and she is now calling for a comprehensive list of polations for Each City and county that is available to all alabama voters.

Also, in decatur, according to the Aclu of Alabama’s Letter, there are Misprinted Balots at one of the Polling Locations omitted the names of two Mayral Candidates.

The Aclu Received Several Calls on Its Voter Hotline About the Incorrect Balots.

The will led to a lawsuit, which was dismissed with the ability for sturgery challenges.

“We Remain Confident in the Integritity of Our Election Process and Will Continue to Follow All State and Federal Guidelines to Encure and Secure Elections for Our Residents,” Said Carter Watkins, Spokesperson for the City of Decatur.

In Mobile, Multiple Reports Occurred over voters being told they were at the workpling site. Acciting to the ACLU of Alabama’s Report, City Clelerk Lisa Lambert Suggested there May Have Been BetWene Municipal, County and Federal Polling sites. The City, after Learning of the Confusion, Broadcast Updated Information About Polling Site Locations.

Lambert, in comments to al.com last week, Said the same thing happens everyone there is a city election with voters going to a different poking place than have had Cast a balot during the previous contest.

“We Cannot use all the sun places the couny uses Because we have the city distribution, and (polling sites the presidential contests) are outside the city limits,” Lambert Said.

Mobile Also Had a New Twist This Year. Annexation, Approved During Special Electations in 2023, Added 19,000 New Residents Into the City on Its Far Western Edges.

“Some People were just swim in the Same Districts that they have four years ago,” Lambert Said. She Said That Postcards Were Sent in the Mail to Voters, THOUGH she Acknowledged that they are offten Ignored or tossed out with junk mail.

In Leeds, The Registrar’s Office Was accused by the Aclu of Alabama for Publishing an Incorrect Vater File for People Living at the Charles Barkley Housing Development. Residents were then provisional giovis balls to record their votes.

The ACLU of Alabama Also Accused Leeds of Not Providing Timelly Notification of Modifications to the Voters’ List.

Leeds Mayor David Miller, in A Sept. 15 Response, Said the City Fulfilled Its Legal Obligations by Publishing the Voter Rolls and Election Information As Allowed Under Alabama Law. The Letter Also Says That Alabama Municipalities, Such As Leeds, will not have the authority to modify, correct or reassign voter registration records – that Responsibility Falls to the County Board of Registrars.

“The difficulties that arose in certin precincts be the result of an ERROR by the registrar’s system, which incorrectly assured Certain votters to the Districts of their Correct Jurisdiction,“ Miller Said in HIS LETTER. “While this Mistake regrettably affected someone Residents, the Error did not originate with or involve the city’s election administration.”

Miller is requesting the Aclu of Alabama to retract it stations suggesting the City Acted imprroperly while administration the election.

“The City of Leeds Remains Committed to Transparency, Compliance with State Election Laws, and the Protection of All Voters’ Rights,” Miller Said. “We will Continue to Coordinate with County and State Authorities to ENSURE THAT ADMINISTRATIVE ERRORS Beyond the City’s DO NOT impact voters in Future ELECTIONS.”