MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Late last week, the Alabama Senate approved a bill that would decrease the restrictions on who can receive an absentee ballot. The bill, sponsored by Sen. Rodger Smitherman (D-Birmingham), passed 25-3 and now heads to the Alabama House of Representatives.
Currently, an Alabama voter seeking an absentee ballot must sign an sworn statement certifying that they have a “legitimate reason” for not being able to vote at the polls. The reasons that are legally allowed include being out of town on election day, having a physical incapacitation, working as long as the polls are open, attending college in another country, or serving as a member -or being a dependent of someone who is – in the U.S. Armed Forces in another country.
The law also requires that either two witnesses or a notary public sign the sworn statement.
Smitherman’s bill would eliminate both of those requirements. However, it would impose a new one: voters would be required to provide a copy of their voter ID with their application for a ballot.
The Birmingham Democrat originally got the idea for proposed changes after suggestions from Secretary of State John Merrill (R-Ala.). To this point, the bill has received bipartisan support.
Merrill told Al.com that he believes the bill will both increase voter participation and strengthen protections against voter fraud. “The only instances of voter fraud that we’ve identified in the state have to do with absentee ballots,” said Merrill.
In 2016, Alabama’s voter turnout was the third highest in the state’s history at 61.97 percent. The highest voter turnout ever recorded occurred in 2008, when it hit 72.8 percent.
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