Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen walks toward a podium during inauguration ceremonies at the Alabama State Capitol on Monday, Jan. 16, 2023 in Montgomery, Alabama. (Stew Milne/Alabama Reflector)
Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen walks toward a podium during inauguration ceremonies at the Alabama State Capitol on Monday, Jan. 16, 2023 in Montgomery, Alabama. (Stew Milne/Alabama Reflector)
Though voter fraud has not been a problem, getting in the way of people voting isn’t a new phenomenon in Alabama. Neither is using election security to justify it.
Republished from Alabama Reflector, by Brian Lyman
Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen doesn’t want to make voting easier. He’s always been clear on that.
Take an interview Alabama’s elections chief did a few weeks ago. Allen said he opposed automatic voter registration (AVR), a program where a qualified voter gets registered when they do something like renew a driver’s license.
“Registering to vote is a First Amendment issue in my mind,” he told a conservative radio host. “You’re exercising your speech. And I think that’s a slippery slope you go down when the government just automatically tells somebody that they’re going to be registered to vote. As long as I’m secretary of state, we’re not going down that path.”
AVR usually includes opt-out options, and implementation isn’t really Allen’s call. Even if a vision of the League of Women Voters knocked him to the ground and converted him to the idea, a Republican-controlled Legislature that’s killed six automatic voter registration bills since 2019 would stop his ability to bring it to Earth.
But Allen has other ways to make voting difficult. It’s one of his long-term projects.
As a state representative, Allen sponsored a 2021 law banning curbside voting. That helped people with disabilities cast ballots. The following year, he helped enact a bill preventing communities from accepting money from “an individual or nongovernmental entity” to assist election administration, which struck hard at poorer areas of the state.
Why?
Well, Allen is very, very worried about election security.
During his campaign last year, Allen (and his Republican rival in the primaries, Jim Zeigler) rejected any attempts to make voting easier or more convenient, saying what mattered was election security.
“What’s convenient is making sure we keep our voting safe and secure,” Allen said during the election. “We don’t want any chaos or confusion.”
He returned to that idea last week as he grudgingly accepted a new congressional map, saying in a statement that he was elected to keep Alabama elections “safe, secure and transparent.”
To be clear, fraud is not a problem in Alabama. The Heritage Foundation, which tracks cases, only lists 19 cases of fraud in Alabama between 2000 and 2019, nearly two decades in which tens of millions of votes were cast in dozens of elections.
If they had all occurred in last year’s election, which had one of the worst voter turnouts in recent memory, they would represent 0.001% of the 1.3 million ballots marked for governor. Most of the cases Heritage cites involve absentee ballots, which are already extremely difficult to cast in Alabama thanks to policy.
Then-Secretary of State John Merrill repeatedly stressed the security of Alabama elections, particularly after an ill-advised meeting with election denier Mike Lindell in 2021.
But the absence of a nail never stopped an Alabama politician from a rapid windmill swing of a hammer.
Allen recently ended a mobile app to help Alabamians register to vote, again in the name of election security, but also ostensibly to save $12,000 or more. (Hopefully more, because that’s not very much when we’re talking state dollars).
And almost immediately upon taking office, Allen withdrew Alabama from the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC). That’s a multistate pact that allows states to check the accuracy of their voter rolls.
Why would a person who clearly prioritizes election security get out of such a system?
Well, Allen thinks that ERIC is a “Soros-funded, leftist group,” referring to the liberal billionaire George Soros, a Holocaust survivor whom much of the right views with frothing hatred. As NPR reported in June, the claim that Soros funded ERIC — which is false — emerged from the fevered conservative fanfic of Gateway Pundit and spread among the Comic Book Guys who make up the conservative media complex.
It’s not the first time an Alabama politician made fantasy the basis of public policy. But in this case, it led Allen to create a whole new system that duplicates much of what ERIC is doing and requires negotiated agreements with states that may or may not opt in.
So we replaced a proven way of securing voter rolls with an unproven duplicate because someone wrote a blog post.
A Long Tradition
Getting in the way of people voting isn’t a new phenomenon in Alabama. Neither is using election security to justify it.
In 1874, the state Democratic Party, then under the control of white supremacists, issued a statement saying they had “reliable information” that Republicans were registering Black men “who have recently been imported” from Georgia and Tennessee.
“We warn our friends in those counties to be on the alert,” the statement said. “Guard well the purity of the ballot box. Watch the polls and the registration lists, and detect and prevent all frauds.”
In the 1901 Alabama constitutional convention, where delegates voted to strip the vote from Black Alabamians and poor whites, the “purity of the ballot” came up again.
“Let us say to those whom we deprive of the elective franchise by this Constitution, we will do it and we do it because it is for the interest of the people of State and of good government and for the purity of the ballot,” one delegate said.
In both cases, a small group of privileged men shuddered at the thought of popular will challenging their authority. And they pushed an idea, still present in Alabama politics today, that democratic elections should be always be viewed with suspicion.
But security isn’t the problem with Alabama elections. It’s the small number of people that participate in them. Turnout for the 2022 midterms was 37.3%, one of the worst in the nation.
That problem has many causes. But you’d hope that a person in charge of elections would see it as an issue, and spend his time looking for ways to help people casting ballots.
Not Allen.
He’s going to secure elections, even if it means throwing up obstacles to voting and smashing through proven systems of election security.
The Alabama Reflector is an independent, nonprofit news outlet dedicated to covering state government and politics in the state of Alabama. Through daily coverage and investigative journalism, The Reflector covers decision makers in Montgomery; the issues affecting Alabamians, and potential ways to move our state forward.
Help Support Factkeepers!
{"id":null,"mode":"form","open_style":"in_place","currency_code":"USD","currency_symbol":"$","currency_type":"decimal","blank_flag_url":"https:\/\/factkeepers.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/tip-jar-wp\/\/assets\/images\/flags\/blank.gif","flag_sprite_url":"https:\/\/factkeepers.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/tip-jar-wp\/\/assets\/images\/flags\/flags.png","default_amount":500,"top_media_type":"none","featured_image_url":false,"featured_embed":"","header_media":null,"file_download_attachment_data":null,"recurring_options_enabled":true,"recurring_options":{"never":{"selected":true,"after_output":"One time only"},"weekly":{"selected":false,"after_output":"Every week"},"monthly":{"selected":false,"after_output":"Every month"},"yearly":{"selected":false,"after_output":"Every year"}},"strings":{"current_user_email":"","current_user_name":"","link_text":"Leave a tip","complete_payment_button_error_text":"Check info and try again","payment_verb":"Pay","payment_request_label":"Factkeepers.com","form_has_an_error":"Please check and fix the errors above","general_server_error":"Something isn't working right at the moment. Please try again.","form_title":"Help Support Factkeepers","form_subtitle":null,"currency_search_text":"Country or Currency here","other_payment_option":"Other payment option","manage_payments_button_text":"Manage your payments","thank_you_message":"Thank you for being a supporter!","payment_confirmation_title":"Factkeepers.com","receipt_title":"Your Receipt","print_receipt":"Print Receipt","email_receipt":"Email Receipt","email_receipt_sending":"Sending receipt...","email_receipt_success":"Email receipt successfully sent","email_receipt_failed":"Email receipt failed to send. Please try again.","receipt_payee":"Paid to","receipt_statement_descriptor":"This will show up on your statement as","receipt_date":"Date","receipt_transaction_id":"Transaction ID","receipt_transaction_amount":"Amount","refund_payer":"Refund from","login":"Log in to manage your payments","manage_payments":"Manage Payments","transactions_title":"Your Transactions","transaction_title":"Transaction Receipt","transaction_period":"Plan Period","arrangements_title":"Your Plans","arrangement_title":"Manage Plan","arrangement_details":"Plan Details","arrangement_id_title":"Plan ID","arrangement_payment_method_title":"Payment Method","arrangement_amount_title":"Plan Amount","arrangement_renewal_title":"Next renewal date","arrangement_action_cancel":"Cancel Plan","arrangement_action_cant_cancel":"Cancelling is currently not available.","arrangement_action_cancel_double":"Are you sure you'd like to cancel?","arrangement_cancelling":"Cancelling Plan...","arrangement_cancelled":"Plan Cancelled","arrangement_failed_to_cancel":"Failed to cancel plan","back_to_plans":"\u2190 Back to Plans","update_payment_method_verb":"Update","sca_auth_description":"Your have a pending renewal payment which requires authorization.","sca_auth_verb":"Authorize renewal payment","sca_authing_verb":"Authorizing payment","sca_authed_verb":"Payment successfully authorized!","sca_auth_failed":"Unable to authorize! Please try again.","login_button_text":"Log in","login_form_has_an_error":"Please check and fix the errors above","uppercase_search":"Search","lowercase_search":"search","uppercase_page":"Page","lowercase_page":"page","uppercase_items":"Items","lowercase_items":"items","uppercase_per":"Per","lowercase_per":"per","uppercase_of":"Of","lowercase_of":"of","back":"Back to plans","zip_code_placeholder":"Zip\/Postal Code","download_file_button_text":"Download File","input_field_instructions":{"tip_amount":{"placeholder_text":"How much would you like to donate? You can change this amount to anything you would like.","initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"How much would you like to donate? You can change this amount to anything you would like."},"empty":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"How much would you like to donate? You can change this amount to anything you would like."},"invalid_curency":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"How much would you like to donate? You can change this amount to anything you would like."}},"recurring":{"placeholder_text":"Recurring","initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"How often would you like to donate this?"},"success":{"instruction_type":"success","instruction_message":"How often would you like to donate this?"},"empty":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"How often would you like to donate this?"}},"name":{"placeholder_text":"Name on Credit Card","initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Enter the name on your card."},"success":{"instruction_type":"success","instruction_message":"Enter the name on your card."},"empty":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Please enter the name on your card."}},"privacy_policy":{"terms_title":"Terms and conditions","terms_body":null,"terms_show_text":"View Terms","terms_hide_text":"Hide Terms","initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"I agree to the terms."},"unchecked":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Please agree to the terms."},"checked":{"instruction_type":"success","instruction_message":"I agree to the terms."}},"email":{"placeholder_text":"Your email address","initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Enter your email address"},"success":{"instruction_type":"success","instruction_message":"Enter your email address"},"blank":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Enter your email address"},"not_an_email_address":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Make sure you have entered a valid email address"}},"note_with_tip":{"placeholder_text":"Your note here...","initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Attach a note to your tip (optional)"},"empty":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Attach a note to your tip (optional)"},"not_empty_initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Attach a note to your tip (optional)"},"saving":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Saving note..."},"success":{"instruction_type":"success","instruction_message":"Note successfully saved!"},"error":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Unable to save note note at this time. Please try again."}},"email_for_login_code":{"placeholder_text":"Your email address","initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Enter your email to log in."},"success":{"instruction_type":"success","instruction_message":"Enter your email to log in."},"blank":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Enter your email to log in."},"empty":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Enter your email to log in."}},"login_code":{"initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Check your email and enter the login code."},"success":{"instruction_type":"success","instruction_message":"Check your email and enter the login code."},"blank":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Check your email and enter the login code."},"empty":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Check your email and enter the login code."}},"stripe_all_in_one":{"initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Enter your credit card details here."},"empty":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Enter your credit card details here."},"success":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Enter your credit card details here."},"invalid_number":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card number is not a valid credit card number."},"invalid_expiry_month":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's expiration month is invalid."},"invalid_expiry_year":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's expiration year is invalid."},"invalid_cvc":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's security code is invalid."},"incorrect_number":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card number is incorrect."},"incomplete_number":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card number is incomplete."},"incomplete_cvc":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's security code is incomplete."},"incomplete_expiry":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's expiration date is incomplete."},"incomplete_zip":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's zip code is incomplete."},"expired_card":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card has expired."},"incorrect_cvc":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's security code is incorrect."},"incorrect_zip":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's zip code failed validation."},"invalid_expiry_year_past":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's expiration year is in the past"},"card_declined":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card was declined."},"missing":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"There is no card on a customer that is being charged."},"processing_error":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"An error occurred while processing the card."},"invalid_request_error":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Unable to process this payment, please try again or use alternative method."},"invalid_sofort_country":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The billing country is not accepted by SOFORT. Please try another country."}}}},"fetched_oembed_html":false}
{"date_format":"F j, Y","time_format":"g:i a","wordpress_permalink_only":"https:\/\/factkeepers.com\/alabama-ramps-up-voter-suppression-masquerading-as-election-security\/","all_default_visual_states":"inherit","modal_visual_state":false,"user_is_logged_in":false,"stripe_api_key":"pk_live_40P3DgGDAHEP1QtJ0nOU4nms5JYHI8GbQ05dYiB1S8OPP5oMSIpOCCeeIawOyeW6bWDkDMWdUeggbhxOQTSA6aedu00ROAbhXBd","stripe_account_country_code":"US","setup_link":"https:\/\/factkeepers.com\/wp-admin\/admin.php?page=tip-jar-wp&mpwpadmin1=welcome&mpwpadmin_lightbox=do_wizard_health_check","close_button_url":"https:\/\/factkeepers.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/tip-jar-wp\/\/assets\/images\/closebtn.png"}
