Washington, D.C. — In a victory for voting accessibility across Alabama, the Alabama NAACP (AL NAACP), Greater Birmingham Ministries (GBM), the League of Women Voters of Alabama (LWVAL), and the Alabama Disability Advocates Program (ADAP) have successfully defended the rights of absentee voters who are disabled, blind, and low literacy to receive the help of anyone of their choice ahead of the 2024 elections in the absentee application process. The organizations are represented by Campaign Legal Center (CLC), the Legal Defense Fund (LDF), Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), the American Civil Liberties Union of Alabama (ACLU AL), and Alabama Disabilities Advocacy Program (ADAP).
Siding with civic engagement groups and their constituents, a federal district court ruled today in the case of Alabama NAACP, et al. v. Marshall that SB 1’s key restrictions on absentee application assistance likely violate Section 208 of the Voting Rights Act. Section 208 requires that blind, disabled, or low literacy voters have the ability to receive help from anyone of their choice. Today’s preliminary injunction means that while the lawsuit continues, SB 1’s key criminal sanctions cannot be enforced against disabled, blind, or low literacy voters or against their chosen assistors.
In response to the ruling, Plaintiffs and their attorneys have released the following statement:
“Nonpartisan civic engagement groups — composed of civic-minded, democracy-loving, everyday Americans — do the hard work of fighting to ensure that every American can access the fundamental freedom to vote. We’re glad that the district court has sided with the rights of the voters and is committed to promoting voting accessibility. Our democracy works best when everybody can participate in it, and this ruling prevents the enforcement of a cruel law that would have suppressed the voices of blind, disabled, and low-literacy voters. We’re proud of this victory, and we will continue to fight to ensure that all Alabamians can easily exercise their right to vote.”
Read the full preliminary injunction here.
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Founded in 1940, the Legal Defense Fund (LDF) is the nation’s first civil rights law organization. LDF’s Thurgood Marshall Institute is a multi-disciplinary and collaborative hub within LDF that launches targeted campaigns and undertakes innovative research to shape the civil rights narrative. In media attributions, please refer to us as the Legal Defense Fund or LDF. Please note that LDF has been completely separate from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) since 1957—although LDF was originally founded by the NAACP and shares its commitment to equal rights.
The ACLU of Alabama works to preserve and protect the civil liberties and civil rights guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution, especially the principles contained in the Bill of Rights. Learn more at aclualabama.org
The Southern Poverty Law Center is a catalyst for racial justice in the South and beyond, working in partnership with communities to dismantle white supremacy, strengthen intersectional movements, and advance the human rights of all people. For more information, visit www.splcenter.org.
The Alabama Disabilities Advocacy Program is the state Protection and Advocacy Programs whose mission is to provide legally-based advocacy services to Alabamians with disabilities in order to protect, promote and expand their rights. Learn more at adap.ua.edu.
The nonpartisan Campaign Legal Center advances democracy through law. We safeguard the freedom to vote, defend voters’ right to know who is spending money to influence elections, and work to ensure public trust in our elected officials. Learn more at campaignlegal.org.
