Background: Under existing law, individuals convicted of “a crime of moral turpitude” lose their voting rights and must apply to have their rights restored upon meeting certain criteria after their sentence has ended. This bill would provide for automatic restoration of voting rights in certain circumstances. Additionally, this bill would eliminate the qualifications that allow for absentee voting and further specify the process for voting by absentee ballot. This bill would also establish the Alabama Voting Rights Act and the Alabama Voting Rights Commission. The Alabama Voting Rights Commission would review certain actions that occur within the state that could potentially discriminate against protected classes of voters. This bill will additionally require the Secretary of State to maintain a statewide database to assist in the administration of elections and to publicize certain information relating to voting making election administration more transparent and accessible to voters.
Our Position: We support HB 60. Current discriminatory practices keep marginalized Alabamians “from full and equal participation in the social, economic, and political life of the state.” The current barriers to Black Alabamians accessing the ballot go beyond disenfranchisement, especially for those who have experience with the criminal legal system. HB60 would work to undo the impact of multiple election cycles that took place under unconstitutional conditions, expanding access to the ballot box for all eligible voters.
