Alabama only state to receive ‘A’ for election integrity from conservative watchdog group

The group Concerned Women for America gave Alabama’s election system the highest integrity rating in the country in a report published Wednesday.

Concerned Women for America (CWA) is a conservative group that “protects and promotes Biblical values and Constitutional principles through prayer, education, and advocacy,” according to its website.

CWA looked at four areas of focus when computing its rankings of each American state’s election integrity: voter identification, ballot harvesting, absentee ballots and absentee ballot verification.

“We are pleased Alabama continues to be recognized as a model for election integrity, and we will continue working with our Legislature to advocate for an even more secure and efficient elections process,” remarked Secretary of State John Merrill, Alabama’s chief elections official, in a statement on Monday.

CWA gave higher marks to states that require voters to show a government-issued photo id to vote, prohibit ballot harvesting, encourage in-person voting over absentee voting and have strong absentee ballot verification standards.

“Only one state (Alabama) obtained an ‘A’ rating with a 90% or more score. Most states fell below the 50% rating, equivalent to an ‘F,’” noted the group.

A perusal of the report shows that Alabama, which got a 94% rating, was far ahead of even the second-place finisher Arkansas, which got 81%. Texas and Indiana tied for third place with 75%.

“We are very proud of the safeguards that have been put in place to protect the voting process in Alabama,” said Merrill. “Through our various voter registration and photo ID drives and education efforts, we have shattered records for voter registration and voter participation – all while maintaining fair elections, free from fraud.”

Henry Thornton is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can contact him by email: [email protected] or on Twitter @HenryThornton95.