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Responsive Gov’s Grade TL;DR
Alabama continued to erect barriers to the ballot box, this time by codifying flawed list maintenance practices. By adopting data matching protocols known to erroneously flag citizens as non-citizens, the Legislature increased the risk of wrongful disenfranchisement for eligible voters. This restrictive focus resulted in a D rating.
Looking Back
Where Alabama Started at the Beginning of 2025
- 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 2025 activity against other bottom tier states.
How Our Tier Compares
2025: This Past Year
Legislative Action
This past year, the Alabama Legislature passed legislation to officially end the state’s use of voter data from the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC) in favor of a less reliable system.
- SB 142 requires the secretary of state to conduct regular list maintenance with the “Alabama Voter Integrity Database” (AVID), which codifies the state’s existing practices including those that have proven inaccurate in other states. The bill requires the use of several state and federal databases to find potential ineligible voters on the rolls. The bill also updates list maintenance laws to remove references to ERIC since the state left the list maintenance organization in 2023.
- SB 158 clarifies that registered voters may not prove their identity with a foreign national driver’s license at the polling place.