7. Tons of mail-in ballots already requested in Georgia
- As the Senate runoff election gets closer, more people have requested mail-in ballots for the election, and it’s expected that turnout will be way up. The Wall Street Journal has reported that about 1.2 million mail-in ballots have been requested, and there are already 200,000 that have been returned for the election.
- So far, this amount is roughly 67% of those who also requested mail-in ballots for the general election.
6. To-go alcohol sales approved again
- Due to a spike in coronavirus cases and a change in business, some of those with the Chambers of Commerce had requested that the Alabama ABC Board approve “to-go” alcohol sales. The board approved the request, so now “to-go” alcohol sales have been approved until at least January 4, 2021.
- Officials with the ABC Board said that this is more about wine sales than anything else, as they’ve “heard from businesses, especially restaurants, who would like to include bottles of wine with large takeout holiday orders due to patrons canceling numerous holiday parties.”
5. Doctors can come to Alabama under a temporary medical license
- The Alabama Board of Medical Examiners and the Medical Licensure Commission have adopted a new measure that will allow doctors from other states and Canada to receive a temporary medical license in Alabama to help with the number of coronavirus cases being seen across the state.
- Alabama Board of Medical Examiners chairman Dr. Mark LeQuire said, “This is an all-hands-on-deck moment.” The new rule specifically states that a “need exists for qualified physicians to provide medical services in Alabama.”
4. Barr resigns
- President Donald Trump has announced that U.S. Attorney General William Barr has resigned and will leave just before Christmas. This was announced just after Barr met with Trump at the White House.
- In the announcement, Trump said that Deputy Attorney General Jeff Rosen will take over as acting attorney general until a more permanent replacement can be found. It’s assumed that Barr is leaving on his own, but concern that he would be forced out started circulating after Barr said the Department of Justice hadn’t found evidence of widespread voter fraud.
3. Alabama voted for Trump
- All nine Electoral College votes from Alabama have been cast for President Donald Trump. Trump got 62% of the popular vote in the state, while former Vice President Joe Biden had 37%.
- Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall, who supported a lawsuit filed by Texas challenging the voting process in Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, spoke at the ceremony while electors voted. He called out those whose questionable decisions created the controversy over this election, saying, “Today, Alabama’s electors will cast their votes for President Donald Trump. … But let us not rest—because, as we have seen, those seeking to undermine the integrity of our elections remain full of passionate energy.”
2. Biden gets 270 electoral votes but it isn’t over yet
- Across the country, the Electoral College met to officially vote for either former Vice President Joe Biden or President Donald Trump. After California voted, Biden passed the 270-mark for votes, taking one more step in naming him the president-elect.
- Next, on January 6, there will be a joint session of Congress, and Vice President Mike Pence will preside over the tallying of the vote. U.S. Representative Mo Brooks (R-Huntsville) has already said that he plans to challenge the results during this session.
1. First vaccine doses coming to Huntsville
- Governor Kay Ivey has confirmed that three locations across the state received shipments of the vaccine on Monday and 12 other sites will get the vaccine shipments on Tuesday. The top priority is vaccinating those working as frontline medical personnel, and it’s anticipated that nursing home residents will be vaccinated as soon as next week.
- Cullman is the only hospital in Alabama to announce it has received its first shipments of the vaccine so far. Huntsville Hospital CEO David Spillers has said that the first shipment of coronavirus vaccines will arrive at the hospital on Tuesday, but it’s not been disclosed how the hospital will be administering the vaccine.
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