Dean Odle: A call to “truly transform Alabama’s K-12 education disaster”
During my run for Governor of Alabama, my opponents gave lip service to school choice because it had become popular, but none of them have put forth a plan that would go far enough to truly transform Alabama’s K-12 education disaster. In 2017, Florida ranked 29th in K-12 education. Governor Ron DeSantis came into office and removed Barack Obama’s Common Core curriculum. Then, the Florida legislature expanded eligibility for their school choice programs to include 56% of their K-12 students. Those two things helped Florida go from 29th in K-12 to 3rd by 2021. My plan was to go even further than Florida. The Parents Choice Act put forth by State Senator Del Marsh in the last legislative session was doomed to fail even if it was passed. Why? It did not go far enough with the amount of the voucher, and it did not prevent government meddling. In fact, it was actually another expansion of government and a sneaky attempt to allow them to get their corrupt fingers into private schools, religious schools, and even homeschooling. As a homeschool dad myself, I know how important it is to protect homeschooling from government interference! It has come to my attention that the current school choice bill being pushed by Eagle Forum called The Parental Rights in Education Act is more of the same. My plan for Alabama K-12 education included removing all traces of Common Core and then putting into place a total, no-strings-attached school voucher program. That means no central state or federal government control over schools. Instead of the existing school boards, there would be parent boards in each school. Those parent boards would consist of parents (elected by the other parents) with children in the school, and they would have authority to hold the school administration and teachers accountable. This creates more parent and local involvement in each school and less government control. A sizable voucher would be given to parents for each child (possibly up to 75-80% of the approximate $12,000 the state spends per child). This voucher program would create free-market competition among schools. The good schools would get better, and the bad schools would stop being propped up by tax dollars even though they fail year after year. In his book, School Choices: True and False, John Merrifield writes, “Perhaps the biggest myth about school choice is that current choice programs constitute a meaningful experiment. They don’t. Current voucher programs are limited to such a small number of students, and they have so many restrictions that they don’t look at all like a competitive school system. At best, current choice programs are escape hatches for a few students. But even these students would be better off under a fully competitive school system, because such a system would offer greater specialization of teaching styles and would benefit from continuous improvements (as is routine in other competitive industries). Public-school choice, including charter schools, will NOT transform our school system any more than the freedom to choose a state-owned store transformed the Soviet Union.” Merrifield continues, “In contrast, a truly competitive school system would encourage the development of a large educational ‘menu.’ This would enable schools to better accommodate students with diverse learning styles or who could use special help to catch up to their private-school peers. Limited school choice programs, in contrast, have been too small to make this option feasible, resulting in some voucher students returning to their prior school.” Charter Schools and Tax Credits “Charter schools and tax-credit proposals often compete for attention with vouchers. Charter schools can act as escape hatches to help a small number of students, but the small number of charter schools CANNOT systematically improve entire public school systems. Charter schools may also displace some private schools or shrink their enrollments, reducing desirable competition in the education industry. And, charter schools are seldom as free to innovate as many people believe. Some choice advocates favor tuition tax credits instead of vouchers, because they believe that tax credits would be less susceptible to government regulation than would voucher-accepting schools. Tax credits would also serve as an escape hatch, but they are unlikely to transform education: Neither the size of the tax credit nor the number of participants would be sufficiently large to unleash market forces great enough to improve the education system. Low-income families, with little ability to supplement a voucher, would have to choose between a public-school system that has served them badly and the cheapest private schools. The greatest threats to progress are low expectations and misleading alleged experiments. We need to achieve real competition in only one reasonably populous area to assure that eventually it will exist virtually everywhere. If we keep our eyes on the goal and are not distracted by half-measures…, it can happen quickly, much like the sudden collapse in 1989 of the socialist regimes of eastern Europe.” The Choice: Freedom or Communism Giving the freedom back to parents and individual schools would change Alabama’s broken system quickly, and it is the American way of doing things. The idea of state-controlled schools came from Marxism. In their ten-point plan, Marx and Engel wrote in point ten, “Free education for all children in public schools.” On January 10, 1963, Congressman Albert S. Herlong. Jr. from Florida read the list of 45 Communist Goals for America into the Congressional Record. Here is number seventeen: 17. Get control of the schools. Use them as transmission belts for socialism and current communist propaganda. Soften the curriculum. Get control of teachers’ associations. Put the party line in textbooks. I hope and pray some Alabama legislators and leaders will actually put forth a bill that embraces true freedom, true free-market competition, and less government control in education. Dean Odle is a pastor and recently ran for governor of Alabama. Odle lives in Cusseta, Alabama.
Alabama Republicans dominate statewide races
As expected, Alabama Republicans won every statewide race. Kay Ivey was easily re-elected, and political newcomer Katie Britt will be the next U.S. Senator from Alabama. Republican incumbents Lieutenant Governor Will Ainsworth, Attorney General Steve Marshall, Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries Rick Pate, and Treasurer Young Boozer were easily re-elected. Republican State Representatives Wes Allen and Andrew Sorrell won the open Secretary of State and Auditor races. Republicans also held their supermajorities in both Houses of the Legislature and won the open State Supreme Court Justice race. Ivey won by an even larger percentage than in 2018 in 2022. Ivey had 69.9% of the vote as of press time. Yolanda Flowers’ 29.2% performance was the worst performance by a Democratic nominee in memory. Ivey improved her percentage victory by over 10% (69.9% versus 59.5%) of the vote; but actually had fewer votes than four years ago – 944,845 in 2022 versus 1,022,457 in 2018. Ivey’s two landslide victories makes her the most popular Republican governor in state history. Yolanda Flowers only received only 411,269 votes, whereas Walt Maddox received 694,495 votes. Ivey is the first Republican woman to serve as Governor of Alabama. She was already the longest-serving woman governor in state history and the first woman in state history to be re-elected as governor. Ivey won the 2022 election for governor, the 2018 election for governor, the 2014 election for Lieutenant Governor, the 2010 election for Lieutenant Governor, the 2006 election for State Treasurer, and the 2002 election for State Treasurer. This unprecedented run makes Ivey the most successful woman politician in the history of Alabama. Ivey, age 78, is also the oldest governor in the state’s history. Election night was hugely disappointing for Libertarians. While they did get ballot access for the first time since 2022, none of their candidates were able to get close to the 20% threshold needed to give the party ballot access in 2024 – even in statewide races where no Democrat even qualified. Gaining ballot access cost the Libertarian Party over $240,000 to get the necessary number of ballot access signatures to be on the ballot. If the party is going to be on the ballot in 2024, they will have to go through the ballot signature process. Libertarian candidate for Governor – Dr. Jimmy Blake, only received 45,825 votes (3.2%). It is unclear where Blake’s voters came from, disgruntled Republicans or Democrats who did not support Flowers. It was not a good night for write-in gubernatorial candidates. Dean Odle and Jared Budlong, representing the far right and far left respectively, received just 9,401 votes (0.67%). Since those votes will not be individually counted, so there is no way to know how many of those votes were Odle’s, Budlong’s, or someone else entirely. In the Senate race, Britt received 940,048 votes (66.6%). Democrat Dr. Will Boyd received 435,428 votes (30.87%). Libertarian John Sophocleus received 32,790 votes (2.32%). 2,454 Alabamians wrote in someone else. Britt is the first woman to win a U.S. Senate race in Alabama. In the Lieutenant Governor’s race, incumbent Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth won in a landslide. Ainsworth had 955,372 votes (83.69%). Libertarian Ruth Page-Nelson had 178,069 votes (15.60%) – far short of the 20% Libertarians needed to guarantee them ballot access in 2024. 8,066 Alabamians (0.71%) wrote in someone else. Incumbent Attorney General Steve Marshall coasted to re-election, receiving 953,284 votes (67.91%) versus 449,193 votes (32%) for Democrat Wendell Major. Major received more votes than any Democrat running statewide. In the Secretary of State’s race, Republican Wes Allen won 923,206 votes (65.9%). Democrat Pamela Lafitte got 435,558 (31.1%), and Libertarian Matt Shelby received 41,480 votes (3%). In the Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries race, incumbent Republican Rick Pate cruised to victory 944,021 (84.3%) over Libertarian Jason Clark 169,869 (15%). In the State Treasurer races, Republican incumbent Young Boozer trounced Libertarian Scott Hammond with 944,792 votes (83.75%) to 174,472 votes (15.47%). For State Auditor, Republican Andrew Sorrell won 947,719 votes (84.4%), while Libertarian Leigh Lachine had 166,243 votes (14.81%). For Alabama Supreme Court Place 5, political newcomer Republican Greg Cook won 941,059 votes (67.42%), while Democrat Anita Kelly received 453,518 votes (32.49%). Incumbent Republican Alabama Supreme Court Place 6 Kelli Wise was unopposed winning re-election 995,688 votes (97.51%). For Public Service Commission Place 1, Republican incumbent Jeremy Oden defeated Libertarian Ron Bishop 934,987 (83.73%) to 172,733 (15.47%). For Public Service Commission Place 2, incumbent Republican Chip Beeker received 929,248 votes (83.18%), while Laura Lane had 179,302 votes. Lane received more votes than any other Libertarian, but her 16.1% was still far below the 20% threshold that the Libertarians needed statewide. The Alabama Republican Party also retained its supermajorities in both Houses of the Legislature. Democrats flipped one Alabama House seat in Montgomery County (Charlotte Meadows), while Republicans flipped one Democratic seat in the Wiregrass (Dexter Grimsley). These numbers are all unofficial results from the Alabama Secretary of State’s office. To connect with the author of this story, or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Jimmy Blake hits Kay Ivey on dark money
In the closing days of the gubernatorial campaign, the Libertarian nominee for governor – Dr. James “Jimmy” Blake has attacked incumbent Governor Kay Ivey for accepting large donations from a dark money group in Virginia. Blake spoke with Alabama Today about this issue on Wednesday. “It avoids being honest with the people of Alabama,” Blake said when asked if taking the money was an attempt to violate the spirit of Alabama’s ban on Pac to Pac transfers law. By donating to the nonprofit corporation in Virginia, the group is able to donate to Ivey’s campaign without disclosing the true source of the money. “It could be the companies building the Governor’s new prisons. we just don’t know,” Blake stated. “Kay Ivey has received 1.7 million in Dark Money,” Blake’s campaign wrote on Facebook. “We don’t know who donated this dark money. But the mailing address for it is the same building as the Republican Governors Association in Northern Virginia. Don’t let dark money buy this election. Vote Dr. Jimmy Blake for Governor of Alabama!!!” Blake referenced a report from WBRC Fox 6 during the primary season that the Ivey campaign received two extremely large “dark money” contributions from a non-profit corporation in northern Virginia. This corporation does not have to report where the money came from. Then Republican gubernatorial primary candidate Stacy George made an issue of the dark money during the primary, but voters still preferred Ivey over him and the other seven Republicans in the May 24 primary field. George, who recently quit his position with the Alabama Department of Corrections (ADOC), is again making headlines again for his criticism of conditions within the prison system. Blake has also criticized Ivey for her handling of the prisons and the “inhumane” conditions there that are drawing national headlines. In 1986, the Alabama Democratic Party had commanding supermajorities in the Alabama Legislature, and Democrats dominated the courts and controlled how the constitutional statewide positions, including the governor’s office. Today, the Alabama Republican Party has commanding supermajorities in the Alabama Legislature, and Republicans dominate the courts and control how the constitutional statewide positions, including the governor’s office. “The power players have stayed the same they just changed from blue Democratic jerseys to red Republican jerseys,” Blake maintains. “Our state has been highjacked by big government Republican insiders who in the primary nudges out the honest small government conservatives,” Blake said in a video on his Rumble account. In addition to attacking Ivey, Blake has turned his attention to the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate Katie Britt whom Blake called a “lobbyist for big government Washington special interests.” Blake has endorsed his friend, the Libertarian nominee for U.S. Senate, John Sophocleus, in the Senate race. Blake is a medical doctor, former Birmingham City Councilman, former owner of American Family Healthcare – Birmingham’s first urgent care clinic, and former chairman of the Libertarian Party of Alabama. He has a bachelor’s degree from Auburn University and a medical degree from UAB. The are 65 Libertarian candidates running on the ballot this November. “We believe that the ship of state must be turned back into the direction of more freedom and less government control,” Blake said. Democratic nominee for Governor Yolanda Flowers will also appear on the ballot along with Blake and Ivey in Tuesday’s election. Pastor Dean Odle and independent Jared Budlong are running as write-in candidates. Voters will go to the polls and vote on their leaders for numerous offices on Tuesday. They will also vote on ten constitutional amendments as well as whether or not to ratify a proposed recompiled version of Alabama’s 1901 Constitution. To connect with the author of this story, or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Kay Ivey outpaces other gubernatorial candidates in September fundraising
The September campaign finance reports are in, and incumbent Governor Kay Ivey, the Republican nominee, is lapping her opponents in fundraising. According to the campaign finance reports filed by the Secretary of State’s office, the governor entered the month of September with $75,583.16 in her re-election account. During September, the governor raised another $316,011 in contributions. Ivey outspent everyone else in the race: combined with expenditures of $189,915.81 in September alone. Ivey enters the month with $201,678.35 in cash on hand. Ivey is only the second woman to be elected as Governor of Alabama. She is the longest serving woman governor in state history as Gov. Lurleen Wallace died of breast cancer in office during her one and only term. Ivey was twice elected as State Treasurer and twice elected as Lieutenant Governor; before being elevated to governor in 2017 when then Gov. Robert Bentley resigned. Ivey was elected to her own term of office in 2018. Dr. James “Jimmy” Blake is the Libertarian candidate for governor. Blake, as a challenger, enters the race with less name recognition than the incumbent governor. The way a campaign builds name recognition is through commercials: radio, TV, internet, print, direct mail, signs, and billboards, and all of that costs money in a state with over five million people and multiple media markets. The Libertarians did not even get ballot access until late May, so building a fundraising apparatus to challenge an incumbent Governor has been challenging. The Blake campaign began in September with just $834. Over the course of the month, Blake raised $9,325, spent $5,389.90, and entered October with $4,769.10 in cash on hand. The situation is even bleaker for the Democratic nominee for Governor. Yolanda Rochelle Flowers reported contributions for the month of just $2,150. The Democratic nominee only had $673.32 in funds coming into September. After spending just $2777.09, the Flowers campaign was left with only $46.23 entering October. The last three Democratic nominees for governor Walt Maddox, Parker Griffith, and Ron Sparks, were running campaigns that were at distinct disadvantages to their Republican counterparts. Still, ideological liberals, Democratic Party loyalists, and allied special interests did at least fund their campaigns. Flowers can’t raise money, and Democrats appear to have thrown in the towel on this and every other statewide race. Democrats aren’t giving to Flowers, who already has a mountain to climb to establish name recognition, much less win votes on election day. Flowers is the first Black woman to be nominated for Governor of Alabama by one of the two major political parties. Ivey, Blake, and Flowers are the only three candidates that will appear on the ballot on November 8, but there are also at least two write-in candidates who do not have the advantages of a statewide political party working for their cause. Write-in candidate Jared Budlong began the month of September with just $105.23 in his campaign account. Over the course of the month, he raised $918.40 in contributions for his campaign and borrowed another $370.07. Budlong spent $659.72 on the campaign and entered October with $733.98 in cash on hand. Lee county pastor and former Republican primary candidate Dean Odle is running as a write-in candidate. Odle entered the month of September with $12,081.61 in cash on hand. Odle reported cash contributions of $5,735.02, in-kind contributions of $666.40, expenditures of $11,550.16, and an ending cash balance of $6,266.47. To vote for Budlong or Odle, voters must check the write-in candidate as their choice for governor and then write in their name on the paper ballot. Republican candidates have dominated fundraising in this election cycle. Republican candidates have raised $46,753,741.68. Political Action Committees have raised $19,798,304.29 in contributions. The Democratic candidates have contributions of $7,282,846.27 combined. All other candidates, including the 65 Libertarian candidates on the ballot, have only raised $178,572.12 combined in this cycle. By comparison, Ivey by herself raised $316,011 just in the month of September. Ivey has raised $9,898,554.35 in this election – more than every Democrat, Libertarian, and independent candidate combined. The election will be on November 8. If, for some reason you are unable to vote on November 8, you can apply for and obtain an absentee ballot. To connect with the author of this story, or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Democrat Wendell Major is running for Attorney General
Alabama Democratic Party nominee for Alabama Attorney General Wendell Major addressed a diverse group of voters on Sunday following the gubernatorial debate between Libertarian Dr. James “Jimmy” Blake and write-in candidate Pastor Dean Odle at Huntsville’s Studio 53. “My entire history has been service,” Major said. “I joined the Marine Corps out of high school. I spent 36 years as a Jefferson County Deputy. I am the police chief of Tarrant.” “I will enforce the letter of the law from day one,” Major promised if elected as Alabama’s AG. Major has a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from the University of Alabama in Birmingham and a law degree from the Birmingham School of Law. “I have been a lawyer for 15 years,” Major added. Major is also a graduate of the FBI National Academy. He is also a licensed polygrapher. “Civil forfeiture is a problem,” Major said. “It is out and out robbery.” Civil asset forfeiture is when law enforcement seizes guns, money, vehicles, homes, businesses, and other property because they believe that the property was used to or obtained by illegal activity – usually the illicit drug trade. Assets can be seized in Alabama without the accused being convicted of a crime or sometimes even charged. Major was born and raised in Alabama. He met his wife here and has raised his family in Alabama. Major is both a father and a grandfather who says he wants to make Alabama safe for generations to come. As a high school student, Wendell Major joined the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office Explorers Club program to help his community become safer. Major says that he opposes using police to generate revenue. “I told my Mayor when he appointed me police chief that the day he asks me about revenue is the day I quit,” Major said. Since Major did not have a primary opponent, his campaign has largely been underreported until now. Major faces incumbent Republican Steve Marshall in the November 8 general election. There is no Libertarian nominee for Attorney General. To connect with the author of this story, or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Libertarian candidate for Lieutenant Governor Ruth Page Nelson campaigns in Huntsville
On Sunday, the Libertarian Party of Alabama nominee for Lieutenant Governor Ruth Page Nelson addressed a diverse group of voters at an election forum event at Huntsville’s Studio 53. “I am Ruth Page Nelson the Libertarian candidate for Lieutenant Governor,” Nelson said. “I am your choice for change.” Nelson is challenging Republican incumbent Will Ainsworth in the general election. “Now you have a choice to make a difference,” Nelson told the crowd that had just seen Libertarian gubernatorial candidate Dr. James “Jimmy” Blake debate write-in candidate for governor Dean Odle. “We have a state that builds itself on mass incarceration. We will change that,” Nelson said. Nelson grew up in Florida but is a resident of the Dothan area. She is a community activist and an electrician. She is certified by the U.S. Department of Energy to teach solar system installation installers. She has a degree in microbiology. “The integrity of the vote has been a major issue in this election,” Nelson said. “The integrity of the vote determines whether you vote or not.” Nelson is for replacing the state’s ESS vote counting machines with a hand counted paper ballots. “We need to go to the paper ballot,” Nelson said. Nelson previously ran as a Republican for U.S. Senate. “Your vote determines the future of your children and grandchildren,” Nelson continued. Nelson said that the office of Lieutenant Governor is important because, “The Lt Governor is the President of the Senate.” This is the first time that the Alabama Libertarians have had ballot access since 2002. Libertarians need for at least one of their statewide candidates to get at least twenty percent of the vote in order to keep ballot access without going through the ballot access petition process – a process that cost over $240,000 during this election cycle. No Libertarian candidate, including Nelson and Blake, knew for sure that they would be on the ballot until May 24, thus the Libertarian nominees have been late getting ramped up in this election cycle. “I am trying to win enough votes to see that Ruth Page Nelson gets 20% of the vote so we can keep ballot access,” Blake said. “We have 65 candidates who are on the ballot. Fifty of those people are running only against a Republican or a Democrat.” In those 50 races the Republican or Democratic nominee faces only a Libertarian. The Lieutenant Governor’s race is one of those 50 races where one of the two major parties chose not to challenge the other. The general election will be November 8. To connect with the author of this story, or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Dean Odle and Jimmy Blake debate in Huntsville
The Libertarian nominee for Governor, Dr. James “Jimmy” Blake, and write-in gubernatorial candidate Pastor Dean Odle both attended a gubernatorial event at Studio 53 in Huntsville on Sunday. Both are challenging incumbent Gov. Kay Ivey, the Republican nominee, in the November 8 general election. Dr. Blake is a medical doctor, former Birmingham City Councilman, and U.S. Air Force veteran. Blake is a former Chairman of the Libertarian Party of Alabama. “I started the first free-standing emergency room in Alabama – American Family Care. I sold my interest in that, and I have been in family practice in Hoover and doing emergency care in Centreville and Fayette,” Blake said. “I am a Libertarian, and I believe you have a right to your own life,” Blake explained. “I served eight years on the Birmingham City Council, where we changed the politics of Birmingham and Jefferson County. Mayor Arrington and the Alabama Citizens’ Council ruled the city with an iron fist. When I left, not one of their candidates was in office.” Odle is a pastor of a Church in Lee County. He is a Christian evangelist, former international missionary, and private school master. Odle was one of nine Republican primary candidates on May 24 but was defeated by incumbent Ivey. “I never thought I would do this, but when we see the mess that Alabama is in, I felt that we needed somebody who was not already in politics to clean this up,” Odle said. “Somebody had to run against the fake Republicans what I call the RINOs – Republicans In Name Only. The Republican Party in Alabama is corrupt to the core.” Blake disagreed with Odle. “The establishment Republicans are the real Republican Party,” Blake argued. “I wish Republicans were who they say they are, but they aren’t.” Both opposed the implementation of red flag laws in Alabama. “No, I would not,” Blake said when asked if he favored the state accepting federal dollars to implement a state red flag law. “I think the right to keep and bear arms is critically important to keep you safe from criminals. The founders of our country thought it was critically important that we have the ability to keep and bear arms to protect against the government. We in the Libertarian Party do not want to infringe on your Second Amendment rights.” Odle said that taking away an American’s gun rights on suspicion that they might do something is a violation of our constitutional rights. “I don’t care what laws that Congress make; if it is not constitutional, it should not be enforced in Alabama,” Odle stated. Both expressed their opposition to government-ordered shutdowns during pandemics. “We (Odle’s Church) never shut down,” Odle claimed. “We as American citizens do not lose our constitutional rights during an emergency, whether that is a war or a pandemic.” “My view is that Kay Ivey is a big government globalist,” Blake said. “Look what happened during the COVID hysteria with the shutdowns and the mask orders.” There was disagreement over the expansion of gambling in the state. “If the people of Alabama want to have a lottery, if they want to have casinos, I am alright with that,” Blake said. ‘What I don’t want to see happen is what normally happens in Alabama is that we pick two or three of our friends and give them exclusive right to have casinos.” Blake said that if electronic gambling machines are legalized in Alabama, then they should be allowed in every gas station and store in the state. “If 100% of that money should go toward eliminating the income, I am all for it,” Blake said. “We have to amend the constitution to allow a lottery,” Odle said. “I really personally am not for it, but I will not stand in the way if the people want it and the legislature passes it. The governor is not a dictator. I am not for casino gambling. That just opens the door to organized crime.” There was also disagreement about the legalization of marijuana in the state. “I don’t believe in black markets; I believe in personal responsibility,” Blake said. “Black markets create a dangerous society. We learned that in Prohibition. If we had a free market, there would be no fentanyl on the streets; because nobody would be willing to put their corporation’s name to it and be sued – the exception is Pfizer, who asked their buddies in the government to eliminate their liability to put a dangerous product (the COVID-19 vaccine) out there.” “We have laws that limit certain activities,” Odle said. “I don’t believe that we need to fully legalize marijuana. I have talked to people that have come here from states that have legalized marijuana, and they say that that is when their states went downhill. I don’t favor fully legalizing it, but I do favor decriminalizing it. We don’t need anybody in prison for nonviolent crime.” Both candidates agreed that the state should have some mechanism for a paper hand count of the ballots. “The voting machines across the country, both ESS and Dominion, are easily hackable,” Odle said. “The people that they don’t want, both Democrats and Republicans, get cut out,” Odle said. “France counts 70 million paper ballots in one evening.” “We have paper ballots, but what we don’t do is go back to the paper ballots to check the count,” Blake argued. “Each candidate should be able to designate three or four percent of the ballot to go in and do a hand count to check the accuracy of the count.” Both candidates said they were pro-life, but there was disagreement over what that means. “We do not have a right to an abortion,” Blake said. “If somebody trespasses on your house, you do not have a right to kill a squatter.” “I think we can all agree that at some point in the process, there becomes two people,” Blake said. “We have to have a little common sense. Rape and incest
Court dismisses vote counting machine lawsuit
Friday, Montgomery Judge Greg Griffin issued an order dismissing a lawsuit seeking to block the use of vote counting machines in the November 8 general election. Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall sought to dismiss the lawsuit against the state. The plaintiffs asked for a preliminary injunction to block the use of the vote counting machine. Judge Griffin allowed both sides to prevent evidence supporting their motions but ultimately found in favor of the State of Alabama. On Friday, Judge Griffin granted the State’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit and rejected the plaintiffs’ motion for a preliminary injunction to halt the use of the voting machines. “Plaintiffs’ suit is due to be DISMISSED, and the Plaintiffs’ Motion for Preliminary Injunction is due to be DENIED,” Judge Griffin wrote in his decision. “As to the Motion to Dismiss, this Court lacks subject matter jurisdiction because Plaintiffs have alleged only a speculative injury that does not support standing. The Court additionally lacks subject matter jurisdiction because Plaintiffs’ alleged injuries are neither traceable to nor redressable by Defendants, because sovereign immunity pursuant to § 14 of the Alabama Constitution bars this suit, and because the jurisdiction-stripping statute bars this suit. This Court holds that even if it were to reach the merits, it would find that Plaintiffs fail to state a claim. Plaintiffs’ Motion for Preliminary Injunction is denied as moot. This Court finds that if it reached the Motion for Preliminary Injunction, it would be denied because Plaintiffs failed to meet the four required elements of a party seeking a preliminary injunction to which no preliminary injunction can issue. Plaintiffs have a higher burden than usual because they seek a mandatory preliminary injunction that would change the status quo.” “Plaintiffs fail to establish irreparable harm because their alleged injury is speculative,” Griffin wrote in his final judgment. “Further, the named Plaintiffs have failed to offer any testimony—whether by declaration or live at the hearing—to substantiate any allegations regarding their own circumstances. And without such evidence, Plaintiff has not met their burden to show that they themselves would suffer immediate and irreparable injury. Additionally, Plaintiffs have not shown that they are likely to prevail on the merits, and they have not shown that the balance of equities weighs in their favor given the significant financial and administrative burdens that their requested relief would impose and given that the 2022 General Election is only 59 days away.” Judge Griffin dismissed the case with prejudice. The case was brought by former Republican gubernatorial candidate Lynda Blanchard, State Rep. Tommy Hanes, Focus on America, and Dr. David Calderwood. Blanchard dropped out of the case and was replaced by former Alabama Governor Don Siegelman. The case was supported by lawyers for Mike Lindell. The My Pillow founder and CEO has claimed that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from then President Donald J. Trump. Blanchard said that she supported “the whole Republican ticket” and that the case was being used to promote write-in campaigns. Both Dean Odle and Jared Budlong are running write-in campaigns. Alabama Today spoke with Alabama Secretary of State John H. Merrill, the lead defendant in the case, following the Judge’s ruling. “28 and 0,” Merrill said, referring to the number of court challenges that the Secretary of State’s office has defeated in his tenure as Secretary of State. “This proves once again that we have the most dependable, the most reliable, and the most accountable election system in the country, and that has been verified by three different independent groups as well as by the courts. The only people who have not accepted that are those groups who have agendas to promote.” The state will use vote counting machines in the November 8 general election. To connect with the author of this story, or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Jared Budlong running as a write-in for governor
Jared Budlong is seeking to be Alabama’s next governor. Budlong is running a write-in campaign for the office in the November 8 general election. On Thursday, Budlong spoke in a phone interview with Alabama Today. Budlong was born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, into a working-class family; his father worked as a custom furniture maker but now works in the construction industry. Budlong has lived in Alabama since 1994. When asked why he did not qualify to run as an independent on the ballot, Budlong stated, “The biggest hurdle is the number of petitions.” He said that it would take approximately 52,000 signatures, roughly 3% of the registered voters in the state, for him to get access to the ballot as an independent or minor party candidate. “Attempting to get 52,000 signatures without a very large budget is next to impossible,” Budlong said. Alabama Today asked how difficult it has been for him to raise money as a write-in candidate. “As difficult as I would have expected,” Budlong said. “However, as of August, I have raised a comparative amount to the Democratic nominee.” Budlong said that he is in favor of Medicaid expansion. “Healthcare in our society is a medical necessity,” Budlong commented. “We should not let people die because they lack the ability to pay.” The state is expected to have a $2.5 billion surplus rollover into fiscal year 2023, which begins on October 1. When asked how he would spend that money if elected governor, Budlong said, “We would have to do an audit of the rest of our spending first. I would love to put it toward getting people out of prison as quickly as possible.” Alabama Today asked if doing that would make Alabama less safe by letting out thousands of violent and dangerous criminals suddenly into the population. “That is not the case,” Budlong responded. “I am not for releasing dangerous, violent criminals out of prison. 66% of them are in for poverty-related crimes.” “The end goal is to let as many people out of prison as possible,” Budlong said. Budlong said that the state should get them the training and the skills that they need to succeed before releasing them from prison and that “Reviewing the current cases” would be one of his first priorities as governor. “They may be worse off after they spent ten years in ADOC,” Budlong said of the presently incarcerated. Alabama Today asked if this exceeded the authority of the Governor as the legislature tasks the Alabama Pardons and Paroles Board with making decisions on when to release inmates, not the governor. “There are other mechanisms to get people out of prison,” Budlong said. “I am fervently opposed to the death penalty.” Alabama Today asked Budlong if he favored building a toll bridge over Mobile Bay. “I am not a fan of the toll aspect of that,” Budlong said. “I am directly impacted by that decision.” Budlong and his family live in Daphne, in Baldwin County, where any trip to their west in Mobile County would mean either paying to use the toll bridge or driving around. He has also lived in Birmingham. “I am in favor of the idea of legalizing medical marijuana,” Budlong said. “I would like to go beyond that and decriminalize marijuana as a whole.” However, Budlong did say that he had some problems with how the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission is awarding the licenses to participate in that. Budlong cited the “Large barriers” to getting a license. “It seems that it has set predetermined people to get those licenses,” Budlong said. Budlong said that he favors raising people out of poverty. “A part of that would be pushing for a living wage so people can live and stay in the state,” Budlong said. Another part of that is “universal income.” Budlong suggested that he would pursue federal dollars so that there is a basic income “keeping everybody above the poverty line.” The State Legislature passed constitutional carry allowing every Alabama citizen with gun rights to carry their weapons with them without having to purchase a permit from their sheriff. “I am not in favor of that specifically,” Budlong commented. “My concern about gun violence is not limited to the tools themselves. There is a much larger problem at hand.” Budlong said that he is not in favor of gun seizures. “We should not be stripping them from our citizens,” Budlong said. Budlong is not an advocate for a state lottery. Budlong said that he would not oppose a lottery if the legislature passed one, but he would not advocate for it either as a program that raises money for education, and the general welfare should not be funded on the backs of the poorest citizens. He also said that he would not spend state resources to close down casinos currently operating illegally in the state. “My opposition is not opposed to gambling, but what that program would do to poor citizens and residents,” Budlong said. Alabama Today asked if the state of Alabama has enough revenue coming in. “No, we are not unless there is an unknown black hole somewhere,” Budlong answered. “I need everyone to understand that I feel connected to the registered but inactive voters,” Budlong said. “1.4 million people did not vote at all (in the 2020 presidential election)…If you feel unheard, that is why I am running.” Budlong has an associate degree from Faulkner State Community College. He and his wife have three children. He earned his Eagle Scout in 2001 and is an active volunteer with his local scouting organization. His career experience includes working as a project manager for a marketing agency that has worked internationally with businesses, both large and small. Incumbent Gov. Kay Ivey, Democrat Yolanda Flowers, and Libertarian James Blake will be the names on the November 8 general election ballot. To vote for Budlong, voters must check the write-in box as their selection for Governor and then write Jared Budlong next to it. Pastor Dean Odle
Kay Ivey leads August gubernatorial fundraising
Republican incumbent Gov. Kay Ivey has continued to cruise towards re-election during the month of August. According to filings with the Alabama Secretary of State’s office, Ivey lapped her general election opponents in both funds raised and money spent during the month despite having the Governor making very few public appearances during the month of August. The Governor’s re-election campaign entered August with $219,918.69 – that was several times more than what her general election opponents had available. The Ivey campaign reported having raised another $132,314.30 over the course of the month. The Ivey campaign, however spent more money than she took in. The campaign reported expenditures during the month of August of $301,649.83. This left the governor’s campaign with just $50,583.16 in cash on hand. The Ivey for governor campaign also reported in-kind contributions of $1,200 during the month of August. In-kind contributions are when people donate services such as printing, postage, vehicle use, etc. to a campaign or purchase advertising such as signs rather than making an actual cash contribution. Since in-kind contributions are not cash, they do not count toward the total funds raised or show in the cash balance of a campaign. Kay Ivey chairs her own campaign, and Ashley Newman is her treasurer. Ivey is a former two-term Alabama Lieutenant Governor. She was elevated to the governor’s mansion in 2017 and then elected to her own term in 2018. Ivey also served two terms as state Treasurer. She has a bachelor’s degree from Auburn University and is a former teacher who has held a number of positions in Alabama government, including service in Gov. Fob James’ cabinet. Democratic gubernatorial candidate Yolanda Flowers began the month of August with just $939.77 in cash on hard. During the month, the Flowers campaign reported raising total cash contributions of just $150. Her campaign had net expenditures of just $38. This left Flowers with a September cash balance of $1,051.77. Flowers also reported in-kind contributions of $1,300. The Chair of the Flowers campaign is Jada Nichole Flowers, and Clementine Essex is the treasurer. Flowers lives in the Woodlawn neighborhood of Birmingham. She is a former teacher and is a retired rehabilitation services professional for the state of Tennessee. She has multiple degrees. from the University of Tennessee. Flowers and other Democratic candidates have struggled to raise funds as Alabama’s Democratic donors have been noticeably absent thus far from participating in the 2022 campaign cycle. Libertarian gubernatorial candidate Dr. James “Jimmy” Blake had $0 in campaign contributions, but has personally loaned his campaign $13,035. Blake also reported expenditures of $12,200 for a balance coming into September of $834. Blake chairs his own committee, and Justin Smith is the treasurer. Blake is a former two-term Birmingham City Councilman. He is a doctor and an Air Force veteran. He has a bachelor’s degree from Auburn University and a medical degree from UAB. Write-in gubernatorial candidate Jared Budlong reported entering the month of August with just $708.49 in cash on hand. During the month, the Budlong campaign reported raising $356 in itemized cash contributions plus another $143.18 in non-itemized cash contributions for a total of $499.18. The Budlong campaign reported $1,102.44 of expenses during the month of August, leaving the campaign with just $105.23 entering the month of September. Budlong also reported in-kind contributions of just $605. Budlong is the sole member of his campaign committee. Budlong lives in Daphne and is a former project manager for a marketing company. He has an associate degree from Faulkner University. Write-in gubernatorial candidate Rev. Dean Odle reported a beginning balance of $10,637.48. Odle reported August contributions of $2,165 and expenses of $720.87 for an ending balance of $12,081.61. The Odle campaign also reported in-kind contributions of $148.48. Odle’s campaign is chaired by Nancy Odle, and Kelsey Hines is the treasurer. Odle is a pastor, evangelist, and private schoolmaster who resides in Lee County. Odle ran in the May 24 Republican primary, where he ultimately lost to Ivey. $26,887,024.83 has already been raised by all campaigns in the 2022 gubernatorial race, and $26,855,007.61 has been spent. Most of it was spent in the Republican primary battle, where Ivey emerged as the victor. The general election is on November 8. To connect with the author of this story, or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Court hears court case challenging the integrity of the state’s vote counting machines
On Tuesday, a Montgomery judge heard a lawsuit seeking to end the state’s use of electronic vote counting machines. The plaintiffs claim that the use of electronic vote counting machines adds the ability for election integrity to be undermined by bad actors and creates an unacceptable layer of inaccuracy in Alabama elections. Allegations that the state strongly denies. The case is being brought by Focus on America (FOA) State Rep. Tommy Hanes, Dr. David Calderwood, and then gubernatorial candidate Lindy Blanchard. Blanchard has since left the case because she says that she supports the full Republican ticket and that the case is being used to advance a write-in campaign. Former Alabama Governor Don Siegelman has joined the lawsuit in her place. The Alabama Attorney General’s office filed a motion asking that the Judge dismiss the case. Alabama Today spoke with write-in gubernatorial candidate Dean Odle about the court proceedings. “The judge decided to hear the case,” Odle stated. Odle said that the case is about “cybersecurity.” “The most sophisticated weapons the U.S. military has can be compromised,” Odle commented, quoting retired Col Sean Smith, who was an expert witness for the plaintiffs. “Focus on America wants an election process that the voters of Alabama can have confidence in and that accurately counts every legal vote cast,” Focus On America spokeswoman Rebecca Rogers said in a statement. “Knowing that our machines can be hacked even when they are not connected to the internet, we believe that right now, the best option for a fair vote count in November is to put the machines aside and hand count the ballots. We have some serious concerns about the election machines in use all across the state, which is why we joined State Representative Tommy Hanes’s lawsuit against Secretary of State John Merrill and the Electronic Voting Committee.” Focus on America is allied with My Pillow founder Mike Lindell and Lindell’s attorneys played a prominent role in the court hearing. Lindell has drawn national attention for his claims that the 2020 presidential election was ‘stolen’ from then President Donald Trump. “The machines by ESS (the systems that the state of Alabama purchases) and Dominion are the worst,” Odle said. Secretary of State Merrill has stated that the vote counting machines that the state uses do not connect to the internet and do not even have modems where they could connect to the internet. “That’s what he says,” Odle replied. “The laptops they use to tabulate the vote, those very computers have both wife and Bluetooth.” “Someone could alter those machines with a program on a thumb drive,” Odle stated. “There are 80 to 200 vulnerabilities,” in Alabama’s election processes, Odle said the expert witnesses testified. Odle said that the plaintiffs’ experts told the court to, “Melt them down and bury them. They cannot be secured.” Odle and Blanchard were among eight Republican candidates defeated by incumbent Governor Kay Ivey in the May 24 Republican primary. On Thursday, the state Alabama Electronic Voting Committee went into executive session to discuss the pending legal case. Alabama Today spoke with Secretary of State Merrill on Friday. “We don’t comment on pending litigation,” Merrill said. “What I can say is that Alabama has the safest, most transparent, and accountable voting process in the nation. And that is not just us saying it, but an independent national review that looked at all the from other states in the country. We believe that when the court reviews all of the evidence that they will come to the same conclusion.” To connect with the author of this story, or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Steve Flowers: We miss Shorty Price
The governor’s races of bygone years were a lot more fun and colorful than today. We would have 10 to 15 candidates. There would be three or four favorites, but we would have ten others that would make an effort to crisscross the state and have fun and cut up a little bit to garner publicity. The “also rans” could not afford the expensive country music stars from Nashville like the George Wallace, Big Jim Folsom, and Jimmy Faulkner frontrunners could to draw a crowd. This year’s gubernatorial race has not been interesting because a popular incumbent governor was running for reelection. However, Kay Ivey did attract eight opponents. However, only two, Lindy Blanchard and Tim James, really mounted a campaign. The six others seem to not do anything, and nobody really knew who they were. The six no-name candidates were Stacy Lee George, Dean Young, Dean Odle, Donald Trent Jones, Dave Thomas, and Lew Burdette. When Burdette qualified, he looked like he had the potential to be a viable candidate, but he seemed to never get out of the gate. If he was running a getting acquainted race, it was unsuccessful. He would probably have as much name identification as a baseball player from the 1960s, who had the same name. As a boy, I had a baseball card of Lou Burdette, who was a pretty good pitcher for the old Milwaukee Braves. Donald Trent Jones probably was hoping that folks would think he was the golf course developer for our famous state links. Dave Thomas was maybe hoping that voters would think he was the Wendy’s hamburgers founder. Today, what we need in the “also ran” category or what I call “run for the fun of it” candidates is another Shorty Price. Most of you do not remember Shorty Price. Ole Shorty was the King of run for the fun of it candidates. He ran for governor every time and really didn’t care how many votes he got. He just ran for the fun of it, and boy was he fun to watch and visit with. He brought new meaning to the word colorful. Shorty was a native of Barbour County, which by the way, is George Wallace’s home county. In fact, Wallace and Shorty grew up together as contemporaries around Clio. Shorty would campaign vehemently and viciously against George Wallace, his nemesis, probably because he was jealous of Wallace’s success as a politician. By the way, Barbour County is called the “Home of Governors” because it has had more governors than any other county in our state’s history. Shorty was maybe the most colorful political clown to ever appear on the Alabama political stage. He not only ran for governor every time, he also ran for numerous offices every time there was an election. That is how he would make his living. He would travel from town-to-town, mostly in southeast Alabama, and panhandle for contributions, and soon after collecting the few dollars that folks would give him, he would convert his campaign contributions into a purchase of a Budweiser beer. In fact, one of his campaign slogans was “Smoke Tampa Nugget cigars, drink Budweiser beer, and vote for Shorty Price.” In one of Shorty’s campaigns for governor, his campaign speech contained this line, “If elected governor, I will reduce the governor’s tenure from four years to two years. If you can’t steal enough to last you the rest of your life in two years, you ain’t got enough sense to have the office in the first place.” Shorty would use recycled campaign signs to save money. He would just change the name of the office he was running for that year. Ole Shorty usually got about two percent of the vote and usually finished last. He was really kind of proud of his usual last-place finish. Indeed, one time the venerable political columnist Bob Ingram mistakenly stated that Shorty finished 13th out of 14th in a particular governor’s race. Shorty blasted Ingram and said, “That’s a blasphemous lie. I finished 14th out of 14.” As stated, Shorty hated George Wallace. One year he was one of many candidates running against Wallace. Shorty coined the slogan, “Shorty, Shorty, he’s our man. George Wallace belongs in a garbage can.” None of these six “also ran” gubernatorial candidates were nearly as good as Shorty. I bet if Shorty were still alive and running today, he would have beaten all six of them. I wish ole Shorty were alive and running in this governor’s race. This governor’s race would have been a lot more fun to watch. See you next week. Steve Flowers is Alabama’s leading political columnist. His weekly column appears in over 60 Alabama newspapers. He served 16 years in the state legislature. Steve may be reached at www.steveflowers.us.
