MONTGOMERY — Members of the Alabama House passed a bill Thursday aimed at protecting voter information while also lowering the cost to access the state's list of registered voters.
Currently, Alabama's voter list can be purchased for 1 cent per voter, or roughly $38,000 total. The list includes voters' contact information, including phone numbers and email addresses.
Under House Bill 67, sponsored by State Rep. Jamie Kiel (R-Russellville), the cost of the voter list is capped at $1,000 in total, matching surrounding states, and phone numbers and email addresses are removed.
"The overwhelming majority of Alabamians do not know that their phones number is being sold by the state, and they do not want their phone number sold," Kiel said.
After further negotiations with Democrats on the House floor Thursday, Kiel added an amendment allowing people to opt in to have their phone numbers listed.
"This list is something that is terribly important for us to gain what our folks want from us as elected officials," State Rep. Barbara Drummond (D-Mobile) said.
She and other Democrats argued that the list allowed them to contact their constituents with polling and election information, and that not including phone numbers would make the list useless to them and harder for some people to vote.
"I have a real concern about whether or not I am to vote in Alabama. I hope y'all… understand the fight and really have an understanding of where we come from as black people when it comes to the issue of voting," said State Rep. Artis "A.J." McCampbell (D-Demopolis).
"Do you understand that in Mobile, in this last mayoral election, a lot of people's voting place will change, and nobody knew it?.. These are the things that I have problems with. And you know what, as an American, as an Alabamian, do I and should I not have the right to vote?"
McCampbell continued to make the issue about race.
"I wake up every morning having to fight the same fights — every single day. You don't have to fight," he said. "People don't like to hear that term, but it's a reality. There's a privilege for the color of your skin that is denied to others for the color of their skin."
Kiel remained steadfast that the bill's purpose was to protect voters' information.
"I think people are sick of spam," he said.
Kiel asked for the bill to be carried over at the call of the chair. It was brought back up later in the day with the opt-in amendment and passed 85-16. It goes into effect on June 1.
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