John Merrill confident polling places prepared for COVID Election Day
Mobile county was allotted the most funding, receiving $498,431.26.
John Merrill wants more space between polling sites and campaigns
If you’ve ever seen volunteers standing outside of a polling place on Election Day, you’ve witnessed electioneering. Across the country, states have different rules and policies about the practice — that is, any written or verbal communication that could be interpreted as trying to sway a voter’s opinion at the polls — that details just how close volunteers and campaign paraphernalia is allowed to be to a polling place. In Alabama, campaigners need only be 30 feet away from the entrance of the polling place. But Alabama’s chief election officer, Secretary of State John Merrill thinks it’s time for that to change. “We have one of the most liberal laws in the nation at 30 feet,” Merrill said in an interview with AL.com. “We think that needs to be addressed.” But not everyone agrees with Merrill. Democrats don’t consider changes to the the electioneering zone a high priority. “There are more important issues that we should be focusing our attention on to make the process easier and more effective than it already is,” Hunstville-Democrat and Alabama House Minority Leader, State Rep. Anthony Daniels told AL.com. What is engineering Election Day electioneering includes, but is not limited to, activities such as: Asking how voters intend to voters and soliciting their votes for a particular candidate or issue. Distributing, and/or wearing, t-shirts, buttons, signs, bumper stickers newspapers, or flyers. Placing signs, posters, stickers, or other material relating to a particular candidate or issue. Passing out handouts that solicits a vote or recommends a given candidate, slate of candidates, or position on a given issue. Innocent remarks, including comments about facts or opinions about politics are often interpreted as electioneering and are thus not allowed in the polls on Election Day. Electioneering across the country While Merrill calls Alabama’s electioneering laws among the “most liberal in the nation,” there are several states with even more lax policies. Topping the list is Pennsylvania where campaigners are required to be just 10 feet away the entrance of a polling place — by far the most liberal allowance in the country. But most states across the country, 32 of them, require at least 100 feet of distance between electioneering and the polls. But that’s not the case in the South, where five states require 50 feet or less, which puts Alabama in good company — matching neighbor-state’s Mississippi’s requirement and ahead of Missouri’s 25 feet. Meanwhile, just two states over in Louisiana, you’ll find the most stringent of all electioneering laws in the country. The Pelican State requires a whopping 600 feet distance the polls — 300 feet more than any other state.
Primary election day: here’s what to know before you head to the polls
Big decisions will be made Tuesday as Alabamians statewide head to the polls to cast their ballots in the Democratic and Republican primaries. Voters will have from 7 a.m. – 7 p.m. to choose between candidates is races across the state. Here’s what you need to know before you head to the polls: Valid ID A voter can use any of the following forms of photo ID at the polls: Valid driver’s license Valid non-driver ID Valid Alabama photo voter ID Valid state issued ID (Alabama or any other state) Valid federal issued ID Valid US passport Valid employee ID from federal government, State of Alabama, county government, municipality, board, authority, or other entity of this state Valid student or employee ID from a college or university in the State of Alabama (including postgraduate technical or professional schools) Valid military ID Valid tribal ID If you do not have a valid photo ID you may vote only if you are identified by two election officials in the polling place as a voter on the poll list who is eligible to vote and the election officials execute an affidavit stating this. If you do not have a valid photo ID and the election officials are not able to identify you, you must cast a provisional ballot. Polling place Not sure where you vote? You can find your polling place online here by simply entering in the address from which you registered to vote. Sample ballots Your ballot is based on your county and its associated political districts such as School Board, State Legislative Districts, and U.S. Congressional District. You may view the sample ballot for your county here. Candidate profiles. Throughout the election cycle Alabama Today invited all candidates running for office in Alabama this year to complete a questionnaire we believe offers an interesting, albeit, thumbnail sketch of who they are and why they are running. Here are the responses we’ve gotten thus far. Primary procedure Primary elections are held by the political parties to select each party’s nominee for the general election. In the primary, separate party ballots are printed, and the voter must choose between the ballot with Democrats running against other Democrats or the one on which Republicans run against other Republicans. If there are three or more candidates in a race, and if no one receives a majority of the votes cast, then a second primary election or runoff election is held between the two candidates who receive the highest number of votes in the first primary. The winner of this runoff election will be the party nominee. Split ticket voting and the cross-over ban Split-ticket voting is prohibited during the primary and primary runoff phase of the election cycle. Additionally, whatever party a voter chooses to vote with in the primary, they cannot change it in any runoff elections. The ban, signed into law by Governor Kay Ivey last year, “helps the Democrats choose Democratic candidates, it helps the Republicans choose Republican candidates. It just prevents the cross-over voting so you get a pure general election with a Democrat and a Republican,” Auburn-Republican Sen. Tom Whatley told AL.com, last May. Write-in votes Because primary and primary runoff elections are political party functions, a voter may choose only among those names the political parties place on their ballots. Therefore, the voter may not write-in a vote in a primary or primary runoff election. Voter fraud If you experience any issues at the polling place contact the Statewide Elections & Voter Fraud Hotline: 1-800-274-VOTE (8683).
