HUNTSVILLE — On Tuesday evening, Republican candidates in the Alabama lieutenant gubernatorial race joined 1819 News CEO Bryan Dawson for a political forum at Bullet and Barrel in Huntsville.
Before a packed house, the group of five addressed a wide array of voter issues and political topics, including election integrity.
Former ALGOP chairman and presumptive front-runner John Wahl called for legislation comparable to the SAVE Act to better address voting integrity issues across the state.
"We don't have to wait for the federal government to solve some of our problems," Wahl stated. "I know there are a lot of people who are supporting the SAVE Act right now. I would love to see something similar here in Alabama. This would probably be challenged in court. But I think it's how we rechallenge it, where you have to prove citizenship in order to register to vote. This is just common sense. Only U.S. citizens should be voting in American elections. It wouldn't be that hard to just bring in a birth certificate or legalization paperwork when you register to vote.”
“That's something we can and should do. It's common sense, it's basic, it's easy,” he concluded.
Dr. Nicole Jones Wadsworth emphasized the need to reform the voter registration process, requiring a valid government-issued ID similar to airline travel.
"I think we need to make sure that people who register to vote have a valid government-issued ID, the same type of ID that you would have to get on an airplane, whether it be a driver's license, a state-issued ID or a passport," Wadsworth explained. "Right now, all you have to do is fill out a piece of paper with the last four digits of your driver's license or social security number, and you register. I've also heard from a lot of employees at the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, as well as the registrars throughout the state of Alabama, that there are also discrepancies, because there's miscommunication between when people get their driver's license, if they're legally allowed to vote, or if they're not."
"We have to streamline that process," she added.
Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries Rick Pate provided an example of voter fraud that recently occurred in the Black Belt region, arguing it was just one of many similar cases.
"One thousand three hundred people voted in a town that had 900. Out of 1,300 votes, 600 were absentee," Pate said. "And they looked at that ballot, and 413 of the 600 were written by the same two people, and both of them were candidates. I'm just telling you, in the Black Belt, they are stealing elections every day. We need election integrity."
Cullman County Sheriff’s Office deputy and retired U.S. Army Major Pat Bishop also supported the required use of government ID for registration and voting.
"I do believe in government ID. When you go to the package store to buy tobacco or liquor, guess what you're showing? Your ID," Bishop argued. "But you don't need an ID to vote? Make that make sense, ladies and gentlemen. It's too easy. We can make this happen."
Dr. Stewart Hill Tankersley stressed the need to regain trust in the government by ensuring election integrity.
"We've lost confidence in our government, and we've got to regain it. Election integrity is absolutely essential," Tankersley contended. "This is a vitally important part of regaining trust. I encourage anybody to look into David Clemens, Jerome Corson and Douglas Franks. You go listen to their testimonies. They have several federal court testimonies. There's no question, they're stealing elections, no question."
"We need to regain integrity, and this is one of the most important ways of doing that," he added.
Secretary of State Wes Allen, another GOP candidate, was scheduled to attend the forum, but he had to cancel.
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