The Alabama Democratic Party released a statement on Tuesday urging the Alabama Legislature to pass legislation to increase the period of time that Alabamians have to vote. Last week, South Carolina Republican Gov. Henry McMaster signed a bill that gives South Carolinians two weeks of early voting ahead of their June primaries.
Georgians are already voting ahead of their primary next week. Florida and Tennessee both have many days of early voting.
Pamela J. Laffitte is the Democratic nominee for Secretary of State.
“2020 showed us that Alabamians want early voting,” said Laffitte. “While more voters than ever voted in-person absentee, Alabamians overwhelmingly proved they want early voting, but Republican politicians prefer to restrict voting rights. Our neighbors shouldn’t have dozens of days to vote while those of us across the line in Alabama have only one day to vote.”
Democrats claim that Alabama voters face long lines at the polls, confusing absentee ballot rules, and limited voting hours. In 2020, Democrats advocated for no-excuse, in-person absentee voting, and thousands of Alabamians showed up to vote, shattering absentee voting records.
State Rep. Christopher John England (D-Tuscaloosa) is the Chairman of the Alabama Democratic Party.
Many Alabama Republicans have expressed concerns with early voting.
State Auditor Jim Zeigler (R) is a candidate for the Republican nomination for Secretary of State.
“We face efforts to change ‘election day’ to ‘election week’ or ‘election month,” Zeigler said.
Wes Allen, Christian Horn, Ed Packard, and Jim Zeigler are all running for Secretary of State in the May 24 Republican primary on May 24.
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