Two Phenix City women have been arrested after police say they carried out illegal ballot harvesting tied to suspicious absentee applications in the upcoming August 26 municipal elections.
Phenix City Police launched the investigation after the city clerk’s office reported multiple irregular absentee applications. Detectives say the probe uncovered evidence of illegal ballot harvesting.
Authorities identified Thalia Jenkins Hardin and Valerie Carter as the culprits. According to police, both told investigators they were volunteering for District 3 City Council candidate Jamar Gayles surrounding the alleged offenses.
While city council elections are non-partisan in Alabama, according to election data retrieved by Yellowhammer News, both offenders are Democrats.
Hardin, age 54, has voted Democrat since 2018. She voted in the 2022, 2020 and 2018 Alabama Democratic Party primary elections.
Carter, age 53, has also voted Democrat since 2018, participating in Democratic primaries during the 2024, 2022, 2020 and 2018 election cycles.
Following consultation with the Alabama Secretary of State’s office and the Russell County District Attorney’s office, law enforcement arrested Hardin and Carter. Each faces multiple charges related to absentee voting violations.
The arrests come after Alabama officials tightened rules on ballot harvesting.
In 2024, state lawmakers passed SB1 to make it a crime to pay third parties to handle absentee ballot applications or ballots.
Secretary of State Wes Allen, the state’s top election official, has consistently communicated that the crackdown protects the absentee process and is clear proof the state is serious about election integrity.
Authorities say the investigation into Hardin and Carter’s alleged scheme is ongoing.
Grayson Everett is the editor and chief of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on X @Grayson270.
