Election integrity remains a top issue for voters following a controversial presidential election in 2020. Accusations of a rigged system have only grown since then, as seen in the midterm elections in 2022 when the anticipated Republican "red wave" failed to materialize.
During that election cycle, a video of a vote tabulation machine accepting multiple copies of the same rough-cut paper ballot during a public test went viral. It caused a stir at polls across the state. Angela Shepherd, the Auburn native and poll worker who shot the video, said that was when she realized how bad the issue really was.
"I went up to the tabulator and [the ballot copy] did not fit," she said on a recent episode of "1819 News: The Podcast." "So I get the ballots all cut up, trimmed up, whatever, and I start running them through, and I'm like, 'Oh my gosh, they're taking them. Every one of them."
She said news of the incident eventually spread to the Secretary of State's Office.
"It took off. It was crazy. They were like, 'Pump the brakes on that.'"
Shepherd has since been working to shore up Alabama's voting laws. She helped bring the Alabama Post-Election Audit Act before the State Legislature last session and again this session, carried by State Rep. Debbie Wood (R-Valley).
The bill would require county probate judges to the judge of probate of to conduct a post-election audit "in at least one randomly selected precinct for one randomly selected countywide or statewide race" for county and statewide general elections.
"We are the last state that does not have a post-election audit in some capacity," Shepherd said. "[F]or me, it's about facts and what can I do. What do I need to focus on that I can see success? And right now … we have pretty high-ranking support for this election audit bill. That's a step in the right direction in voter integrity and just making sure that we are transparent and accurate in our election results."
Shepherd said she would also like Alabama to update its election law, Title 17, and potentially create an election commission to ensure elections are run freely and fairly.
To connect with the story's author or comment, email daniel.taylor@1819news.com or find him on Twitter and Facebook.
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