Feel like your vote doesn’t matter? You’re not alone. A new survey from the website WalletHub.com revealed that Alabama is counted as a state with little ability to sway the presidential election.
The site ranked “voting power” based on how reliably partisan a state’s electoral base falls. Of course, the Yellowhammer State is consistently regarded as a Republican powerhouse. For this reason, Alabama was named as the 45th least powerful state ahead of November.
The ranking has been described as a blow to the morale of voters who seek to impact the general election, but it’s worth remembering that Alabamians have had a more profound influence in 2016 than in years past.
You can thank the SEC Primary.
Secretary of State John Merrill has said that 1.2 million Alabamians cast a ballot in the SEC Primary. It’s a record-breaking number, and created a pathway for candidates with appeal to conservatives to rise to greater prominence in the election.
Lest we forget, Trump’s campaign made election history when he hosted a rally in Mobile, drawing a reported 30,000 GOP supporters to the Ladd-Peebles football stadium. Likewise, Ted Cruz declared that his campaign strategy rested on Southern conservative voters of the SEC Primary. Nearly every major candidate on both sides of the aisle made a visit to Alabama- something that had not happened in years.
When Alabama agreed to enter into the March 1 primary, state officials understood that not all states are treated equally during campaign season, especially compared to the November draw of swing states like Ohio, North Carolina, and Florida. However, they anticipated that creating a primary contest in Alabama would attract more candidates, media attention, and revenue into the state. How right they were.
Don’t miss out! Subscribe today to have Alabama’s leading headlines delivered to your inbox.