Alabama will recognize the 60th anniversary of the Selma-to-Montgomery march next March, and the subsequent approval of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Some lawmakers and the Montgomery-based Southern Poverty Law Center are hoping an omnibus legislation, entitled the Alabama Voting Rights Act, will accompany the anniversary.

“The freedom to vote is the most sacred right we have in America – a right that Alabama rallied the nation to expand and protect through the Voting Rights Act nearly 60 years ago,” said Jerome Dees, Alabama Policy Director with the SPLC Action Fund. “Alabama has the opportunity, once again, to safeguard voting rights through legislation that guarantees every voice is heard and every vote is counted.”

It will be an uphill, if not impossible, battle to get the measure a hearing, let alone a vote on the full House or Senate floors.

The Alabama Legislature is a supermajority Republican and has largely adhered to the Secretary of State’s Office for recommendations on voter reform initiatives.

Republican Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen, in a statement Thursday, said he is “absolutely opposed” to it.

“This bill would drastically change the way elections are administered in this state, leading our elections to be less secure and less transparent,” Allen said, saying it was filled with “liberal initiatives like same-day voter registration and no excuse absentee voting.” He said neither has a place in Alabama.

“This bill would unravel Alabama’s strong election laws that are designed with election integrity as the top priority,” Allen said. “As long as I am Alabama’s Chief Election Official, I will do everything in my power to ensure Alabama voters get what they deserve – fair, secure, and transparent elections.”

The Alabama Voting Rights Act, unveiled in August, is included in a 46-page legislation sponsored by Democratic lawmakers in both the House (HB60) and the Senate (SB7).

Highlights of the bill include:

• Create automatic voting rights restoration for convicted felons who have completed their probation or parole or have been released from prison upon completion of their sentencing.
• Establishes a same-day voter registration system.
• Expands absentee ballot access by removing excuses that are currently required to allow someone to vote before Election Day in Alabama.
• Create the Alabama Voting Rights Commission, which would be assigned to investigate actions that could potentially discriminate against protected classes of voters. The commission would also be responsible for pre-clearing certain official actions related to elections.
• Require the Secretary of State’s Office to maintain a statewide database to assist with election administration and to publicize voter education and outreach efforts.
• Establish a Voter Education Fund to help train local election officials and poll workers, and develop educational materials on voting rights and processes.

The SPLC, in a news release Thursday, touted the legislation as a “landmark” bill sponsored by Democratic lawmakers, the League of Women Voters, the Campaign Legal Center, ACLU of Alabama, Faith in Action Alabama, among others.

While SB7 and HB60 face difficulties next spring, some Republican lawmakers have expressed interest in getting early voting considered. That effort comes after Alabama saw 58.52% turnout on Nov. 5, which represented the lowest percentage in a presidential election since 1988. But despite the low turnout, voting sites throughout the state experienced long lines and wait times on Election Day.

Alabama is one of only three states that does not allow for any in-person early voting ahead of Election Day. Allen has said he does not support early voting, but some lawmakers have said it’s worth considering amid record-turnout of early voting among Republicans and Democrats in other states.

The only early voting bill to surface, so far, is from Democratic state Rep. Thomas Jackson of Thomasville. That measure, HB59, requires each county to provide at least one early voting center to be open during the week immediately preceding the election day, which would allow registered voters to vote early.

“In this hectic day and time, individuals juggle so many responsibilities,” said state Rep. Adline Clarke, D-Mobile, and a longtime proponent for electoral reform in Alabama. “Voters deserve flexibility – the flexibility of voting on more than one day. We may not need ‘election month,’ but voters deserve the opportunity to cast ballots on more than a single election day. Workers should not have to stand in long lines at the crack of dawn to vote before reporting to their jobs. They should have the option of voting on a weekend, if that works best for them.”