Alabama’s Legacy of Racism Cited in Mail-In Voting Decision
- Judge rules witness-signature rule violates Voting Rights Act
- The state’s Republican leaders are appealing the decision
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Alabama’s long history of racial discrimination and the lopsided impact of the coronavirus on Black people justifies easing the state’s restrictions on mail-in voting for the upcoming election, a federal judge said.
U.S. District Judge Abdul Kallon in Birmingham, Alabama, ruled Wednesday that voters who are at least 65 or who have underlying medical conditions that make them more susceptible to complications from Covid-19 must be exempted from the state’s identification and witness-signature requirements for absentee ballots during pandemic to comply with the Voting Rights Act.