Digital Media Center
Bryant-Denny Stadium, Gate 61
920 Paul Bryant Drive
Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0370
(800) 654-4262

© 2024 Alabama Public Radio
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Justice Department defends Alabama absentee ballot rule

Department of Justice
/
Wikimedia Commons

 

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — The Justice Department is defending Alabama’s requirement to have witnesses sign an absentee ballot. 

The Justice Department filed a statement of interest in a lawsuit challenging election procedures. The Justice Department said the witness signature requirement is not a violation of the Voting Rights Act.

Alabama absentee voters are currently required to submit photocopies of their photo identification and sign the absentee ballot before a notary or two witnesses.

The lawsuit filed by the  NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Alabama Disabilities Advocacy Program asks a federal judge to waive those mandates and force the state to offer curbside voting.

The Associated Press is one of the largest and most trusted sources of independent newsgathering, supplying a steady stream of news to its members, international subscribers and commercial customers. AP is neither privately owned nor government-funded; instead, it's a not-for-profit news cooperative owned by its American newspaper and broadcast members.
Related Content
News from Alabama Public Radio is a public service in association with the University of Alabama. We depend on your help to keep our programming on the air and online. Please consider supporting the news you rely on with a donation today. Every contribution, no matter the size, propels our vital coverage. Thank you.