On Tuesday, left-wing news source AL(dot)com reported on a recently released poll allegedly showing that most conservative voters in Alabama are against legislation closing Alabama's primary elections.
Entitled "Most GOP voters oppose bill Alabama Republicans are pushing, poll finds," the article said 400 registered Republicans were surveyed between March 12 and 14, with the following question:
"Some states require voters to register with a political party before they can vote in that party's primary election, while other states allow voters to choose which party's primary they want to vote in without registering with a party. Which approach do you think Alabama should use?"
According to the poll, 57% of the group said they shouldn't have to register with a party to vote in its primary, while 39% said voters should be required to register with a party to vote in that party's primary.
AL(dot) com's report surprised many, given the Alabama Republican Party and its voter base's perceived support of the closed primaries bill.
The poll was commissioned by Unite America, a non-profit organization that claims to be non-partisan and independent from party politics. As a non-profit, however, the organization relies on substantial contributions from major donors. After examining sizeable donations to Unite America PAC, the political arm of the organization, the group's liberal influence becomes clear.
Per Open Secrets, Unite America PAC's top five donors during the 2023-2024 election cycle included:
- Billionaire liberal political activist and former director of strategy and communications for the Clinton Climate Initiative, Kathryn Murdoch, contributed more than $4.5 million. Murdoch, who is a co-chair of the PAC, is married to James Murdoch, the son of Fox News mogul Rupert Murdoch.
- Co-founder of Riot Games, Marc Merrill, who resides in California and is a self-identified supporter of Democratic candidates and liberal initiatives, contributed over $2.7 million during the period.
- Former mayor of New York and one-time Democratic candidate for President, Michael Bloomberg, was a major donor, giving over $2.5 million during the election cycle.
- Senior adviser at Berkshire Partners, David Randolph Peeler, has made donations to various liberal organizations, including a $ 1 million endowment to the Mainstream Democrats PAC in June 2023. Peeler donated over $2.3 million to the Unite America PAC in the 2023-2024 election cycle.
- Co-founder of Home Depot and owner of the Atlanta Falcons, Arthur Blank, is a longtime Democratic donor and gave substantial funding to both Joe Biden's and Hillary Clinton's presidential campaigns. Blank donated $2 million to the PAC in June 2024.
Under current law, Alabama is an open-primary state, meaning there is no requirement that an elector register with a party to vote. Closed primaries usually require voters to be registered with a party to participate in an election.
After passing the Alabama House of Representatives in late March, the closed-primary bill advanced from the Senate State Governmental Affairs Committee on Tuesday. The legislation is now before the Senate.
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