Alabama Targets Absentee Ballot 'Harvesting' with New Law
Montgomery, AL – Alabama has enacted a stringent new law, SB1 (signed March 2024), significantly restricting how absentee ballots can be requested, completed, and returned. The law criminalizes paying or receiving payment for assisting voters with absentee ballot applications. Supporters champion the law as a crucial measure against potential fraud and undue influence often termed 'ballot harvesting,' while critics contend it erects barriers for voters requiring legitimate assistance.
What the New Law (SB1) Entails
Signed into law in March 2024, SB1 introduces specific criminal penalties. Key provisions include: making it a Class C felony to pay or receive payment for distributing, ordering, requesting, collecting, completing, prefilling, obtaining, or delivering another person's absentee ballot application. It also establishes a Class A misdemeanor for distributing prefilled absentee ballot applications and a Class B felony for ordering or requesting an absentee ballot on behalf of someone else without their written consent. Limited exceptions exist for voters requiring assistance due to disability or inability to read or write, allowing designation of assistance providers. Only the voter, an immediate family member, or a legal guardian can return a completed ballot (with exceptions for election officials and postal workers).
Rationale: Protecting Election Integrity
Proponents argue SB1 is essential for safeguarding elections from organized efforts to manipulate absentee voting. They maintain the measures prevent paid operatives from coercing voters or improperly handling ballots, thereby preserving the principle of one person, one vote. "This law is about ensuring that every absentee ballot cast truly reflects the intent of the voter, free from commercialized or pressured influence," stated a supporter [Optional: Insert Name/Title like 'State Senator Garlan Gudger, the bill's sponsor,' if confirmed].
Concerns: Potential Barriers for Voters
Voting rights groups and other critics express alarm that the law could disenfranchise eligible citizens. They argue that individuals who are elderly, homebound, have disabilities, lack reliable transportation, or possess limited English proficiency often rely on trusted community members or organizations for help navigating the absentee process. "By criminalizing certain types of assistance, this law risks suppressing the votes of the very Alabamians who face the greatest hurdles to casting a ballot," remarked [Optional: Insert Name/Title like 'an advocate from [Organization Name],' if confirmed].
Potential Consequences and Legal Challenges
The implementation of SB1 will likely alter get-out-the-vote strategies and necessitate clearer voter education from official sources regarding permissible forms of assistance. The law's broad scope has already prompted legal challenges, with lawsuits filed arguing it infringes on voting rights and free speech. The full impact on voter turnout and election administration in Alabama will unfold in upcoming election cycles.
Further Resources
- Official Text of Alabama SB1 (2024 Regular Session)
- Alabama Secretary of State - Elections Division Website
- Alabama State Legislature Website