Michelle Orengo-McFarlane looks for her name on a voter registration list in San Francisco, California in a file photo. Alabama has more registered voters, but inactive voters have surged 81% since 2020. (David Paul Morris/Getty Images)
There are more people registered to vote in Alabama than there were four years ago. But there are also more people listed as inactive voters.
As of the end of September, there were 3,776,498 active voters, compared to 3,668,074 in September 2020, an increase of just over 108,000 (2.9%). However, the number of inactive voters – those listed as not having voted in their counties over the previous four years – jumped from 225,166 in 2020 to 407,706 this year, an 81% increase.
Inactive voters can either reidentify themselves to their local board of registrars before Election Day or complete a voter reidentification form when voting on Election Day.
Kathy Jones, president of the League of Women Voters of Alabama, said that people may be put on the inactive list if they don’t vote once at least every four years. She said this usually happens when people who only vote in presidential elections miss one of those.
Voting rights advocates say that enthusiasm this year is unlike years before, with more people, especially young and rural voters, as they engage communities and push to increase voter participation. Outreach efforts have included universities to assisted living facilities, Jones said, with volunteers working to ensure that everyone eligible is ready to vote.
“There is so much energy and enthusiasm, and it’s across the whole state,” she said. “People are really aware of checking their voter registration, especially if they’ve moved, because updating it now will make things easier on Election Day,” adding that there seems to be a sense of urgency among voters.
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Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen said he is committed to a secure and transparent election process.
“My focus is on working with our local election officials, probate judges, circuit clerks, sheriffs, and Boards of Registrars to ensure we conduct a fair, secure, and transparent election,” Allen said in a statement Thursday.
Tefani English-Relf, Alabama state director for the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), said in an interview she’s seen a significant increase in civic engagement, especially in rural areas.
“I’m loving seeing the energy, because it’s a powerful reminder that every voice really does matter, and that through civic engagement and participation, we really can push for justice and equity in all of our communities, specifically in Alabama,” English-Relf said.
Both Jones and English-Relf emphasized the need for citizens to check their registration status in addition to registering.
“It is no exaggeration that our future depends on what we do now,” English-Relf said.
In light of recent efforts to restrict voting assistance, Jones said that would worried her was people living in assisted living facilities, who would have had their voting rights suppressed if three-judge panel of the U.S. 11th Circuit Court of Appeals Friday had not declined to stay a lower court ruling limiting Alabama’s new absentee ballot assistance law. The court upheld a lower court ruling that allowed blind, disabled and illiterate voters to choose people to assist them with absentee ballots.
“There’s nothing like someone trying to take something from you, to energize you to try to fight back,” she said.
To submit an application to register to vote, you must meet the following requirements:
You must be a citizen of the United States.
You must live in the State of Alabama.
You must be at least 18 years of age on or before election day.
You must not be barred from voting by reason of a disqualifying felony conviction.
You must not have been judged “mentally incompetent” in a court of law.
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