State Senator Clyde Chambliss has pre-filed two bills ahead of the 2023 Alabama regular session, which he claims will improve the integrity of future Alabama elections. The Alabama legislature will return for the regular session on March 7.
Both pieces of legislation seek to place existing administrative rules into statute, meaning that the election regulations could not be changed without legislative approval. There would be no discernible changes in how Alabama voters of poll workers. Instead, these two bills would simply codify the rules that are already in place.
Senate Bill 9 (SB9) would require that the state’s electronic voting counting system must require the use of a paper ballot that is marked and inspected by the voter prior to being cast and counted.
“All Alabama elections currently use paper ballots,” Chambliss explained. “This bill would codify the current process to ensure that Alabama’s voters will always use paper ballots and that they will always mark those ballots in order to cast a vote in any election held in this state. This bill protects the process that we have in place now.”
The second bill, SB 10, prohibits the use of electronic vote counting systems that are capable of connecting to the Internet or cell phone networks or that possess modem technology.
“It is essential that voters have faith in the integrity of our elections process,” Chambliss said. “This bill would ensure that no voter ever has to be concerned about the internet connectivity of voting machines. By banning any form of connective technology in our vote counting machines, we are ensuring that our elections remain free of any technological interference.”
Chambliss noted that the state of Alabama is widely recognized as having the most secure elections in the country. He said that he is committed to keeping elections as safe and secure as possible.
“Every voter in every election in this state – municipal, county or state – should leave the polling place with the assurance that every vote is counted fairly and securely. These bills do just that,” he said.
The disputed results of the 2020 Presidential election and controversial election year changes in election processes in swing states like Georgia, Arizona, Pennsylvania, Nevada, and Wisconsin have led many conservatives to question election integrity across the country. Alabama already has some of the tightest voter laws in the nation. Every voter is required to present a valid photo ID at the polls. There is no early voting, no electronic voting, no curbside voting, no internet voting, no same-day registration, and every voter must vote only at the polling place to which they are assigned. Alabama allows absentee voting, but only with a valid excuse, and absentee ballots must be witnessed.
Chambliss serves as the Alabama Senate’s Majority Whip. He is currently serving his third term in the State Senate representing District 30, which covers Autauga, Elmore, Chilton, Coosa, and Tallapoosa counties. Republicans hold a 27 to 8 supermajority in the Alabama Senate.
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