Responsive Gov’s Grade TL;DR

After a brief hiatus from enacting anti-voter legislation in 2023, the Alabama Legislature passed strict new absentee ballot restrictions this year. Although they also passed legislation to protect election workers from harassment and violence, the bill also expanded the list of crimes that result in a loss of voting rights. Therefore, Alabama received a D on this year’s progress report.

Looking Back

Where Alabama Started at the Beginning of 2024

• Automatic Voter Registration: No
• Online Voter Registration: DMV ID
• Same-Day Registration: No
• Restoration of Rights: Some Permanent Disenfranchisement
• Vote by Mail: Excuse-Only
• Electronic Registration Information Center Member: No
• Early Voting Opportunities: No
• ID Requirements: ID Requested, but not Required

Relying on the Cost of Voting Index for Alabama as of 2024, we considered the state a bottom tier state for pre-existing voting policy and compared its 2024 activity against other bottom tier states.

How Our Tier Compares

• COVI (2024): 47th
• EPI Score (2022): 38th
• CLC State Scorecard (2022): 2/10
• MAP Democracy Policy Tally (2024): LOW

2024: This Past Year

Legislative Action

During this past year, the Alabama Legislature passed legislation to protect election workers but also enacted new absentee ballot restrictions.

• SB 1 prohibits individuals from distributing or returning absentee ballot applications for others and makes violations a felony. Voters that rely on the assistance of others to return their applications, such as the elderly and disabled, will likely face challenges in getting their ballot. The law is currently the subject of an ongoing lawsuit. This past fall the court blocked the portion of the law that infringed on blind, disabled and illiterate voters’ ability to receive assistance under federal law. Litigation remains ongoing.
• HB 100 attempts to protect election workers from threats and violence by punishing individuals that commit felony crimes against election workers with disenfranchisement. While increasing protection for election workers is critically important, there are other, more effective, tools to ensure their safety. Additionally, the bill goes beyond the stated goal of protecting election workers to further extend the list of disenfranchising crimes to a host of other non-election related crimes.