Alabama Governor Kay Ivey on Friday issued a supplement to her emergency proclamation that will allow municipalities greater freedom to recruit and train election workers.

Almost every midsize and small city in Alabama heads to the polls next Tuesday, August 25, to vote on their mayor and city councils. Should no candidate get 50% in any of those races, a runoff will be held on October 6.

The order issued by Ivey on Friday allows cities to recruit poll workers from anywhere in the county where the city is located. Normally, election workers have to live within the city limits where the election is happening.

Ivey’s proclamation also allows cities to train their poll workers online or over the telephone to help reduce the risk of transmitting the coronavirus.

Gina Maiola, press secretary for the governor, wrote in a release that Ivey decided to issue the order “after hearing reports from the League of Municipalities that some municipal governments are having difficulty recruiting election workers as a result of the pandemic.”

The proclamation only applies to the municipal elections on August 25 and October 6.

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