House Republicans sound skeptical of no-excuse absentee voting bill
The era of no-excuse absentee voting in Alabama may not last long.
Republicans on the House Constitution, Campaigns and Elections committee Wednesday sounded skeptical of a bill from Rep. Laura Hall, D-Huntsville, that would permanently remove an excuse requirement for absentee voting, one that was suspended last year amid the COVID pandemic.
The bill has the support of Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill, a Republican, and would not remove other absentee voting requirements, like photo identification or an affidavit and witness requirement. Supporters cited the success of last year s election, which saw record numbers of absentee ballots cast in Alabama, and said dropping the excuses would improve ballot access in a state with a long history of voter suppression.
House Republicans sound skeptical of no-excuse absentee voting bill
The era of no-excuse absentee voting in Alabama may not last long.
Republicans on the House Constitution, Campaigns and Elections committee Wednesday sounded skeptical of a bill from Rep. Laura Hall, D-Huntsville, that would permanently remove an excuse requirement for absentee voting, one that was suspended last year amid the COVID pandemic.
The bill has the support of Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill, a Republican, and would not remove other absentee voting requirements, like photo identification or an affidavit and witness requirement. Supporters cited the success of last year s election, which saw record numbers of absentee ballots cast in Alabama, and said dropping the excuses would improve ballot access in a state with a long history of voter suppression.
kaylee, do you in the shot take it away, kaylee. reporter: thank you, jake. secretary merrill, roy moore, we just heard from him. he s on his way here. what do we need to understand about the conversation that will take place when he arrives? i don t know that judge moore is coming here, i m not expecting that. i m expecting other people from the media to come here. i m not very comfortable in visiting with judge moore or anybody in his campaign tonight. reporter: so at this point, do you believe there is a chance of a recount? well, there s always a chance of a recount, because any candidate can ask for a recount, and if they pay for it, they can receive a recount. that was the alabama secretary of state last night on cnn, explaining, awkwardly, in his own words, what he believed to be the recount provision in alabama. it s important, because that s what roy moore is citing to explain why he is not conceding this race. i have to tell you, what the secretary of stat
what happened. obviously. with the secretary of state of alabama and can help clear this up. go ahead. take it away. reporter: thank you, jake. secretary merrill, roy moore, we just heard from him. he s on his way here. what do we need to understand about the conversation that will take place when he arrives? i don t know that judge moore is coming here. i m not expecting that. i m expecting other people from the media to come here. i m not very comfortable visiting with judge moore and anybody in his campaign tonight. the people of alabama have spoken tonight. they ve made their voice heard loud and clear. the most important thing to remember now is the process needs to be followed to ensure that the integrity, the safety and security of the election is preserved. that means that we need to follow the procedures that are established according to the code for the rest of the way. which means that the election
did it, that moral arc, not only was it bend more, not only was it aimed truer, but you sent at the right through the heart of the great state of alabama in doing so! thank you, all! i love you! thank you! think you! god bless you and god bless the great state of alabama and the united states of america! shannon: you have a listen to democrat doug jones and alabama successfully pulling off a run for the u.s. senate. he will be the next senator to join here in washington with a lot on the plate in 2018. how much will it cost them losing that seat? first of all, let s talk, before we hear from roy moore, we ll expect we ll hear from him eventually, let s talk about his reaction. secretary merrill, it s great to have you with us tonight. what can you tell us about her not? with that it was going to be so critical. thank you, shannon. it s unbelievable. the people of alabama really responded in this campaign unlike anything was ever expected to have occurred.