AL Political Reporter: “Alabama Republicans are again trying to make it harder for elderly and Black citizens to vote.
A new pre-filed bill would again place criminal restrictions on providing assistance to absentee voters, including elderly voters. Specifically, the bill makes it a Class A misdemeanor to request or provide an absentee ballot application for someone who isn’t a blood relative or who lives in the same household. There are also exceptions, required by federal law, for persons with disabilities.
So, if I help the war veteran who lives down the street from my parents obtain an APPLICATION – not a ballot, but just the application for the ballot – then I could be charged with a crime and possibly spend a year in jail and pay $5,000.
This is the brainchild of Rep. Jamie Kiel, R-Russellville, who tried a similar bill last year and during questioning on the floor couldn’t cite a single example of harm that might come from providing assistance in requesting absentee ballots. This year, though, he’s ready.”