Election Day often brings its share of challenges, but the 2024 election was marked by unprecedented tensions leading up to November 5th. Drop-off boxes for ballots were lit on fire in Washington and Oregon. Multiple states—including Alabama—attempted last minute voter roll purges that were found to be unconstitutional. For many, democracy and the right to vote felt especially at risk this year, though these rights have historically faced sustained threats for years. Fortunately, laws and policies remain in place to protect fair elections in the United States. And in Alabama, civil rights and civic engagement organizations came together on election day with a renewed focus, determined to safeguard these essential protections and access to the ballot in 2024.

Legal experts, policy analysts, communications and media specialists, and election protection volunteers came together to form a rapid response in-person and virtual boiler room processing Election Protection hotline calls from throughout the state. The Boiler Room, located in Montgomery, placed Alabama’s Election Day experts in one room to respond to any issue that occurs. Involved organizations included:

• ACLU of Alabama
• Southern Poverty Law Center
• Alabama Forward 
• NAACP Legal Defense Fund
• Alabama Values
• Rollin To The Polls
• League of Women Voters of Alabama

Ahead of Election Day, the Alabama Election Protection Coalition issued a letter to county probate judges, circuit clerks, and sheriffs, emphasizing the coalition’s role as a vital resource for protecting voter access and ensuring a smooth election process. The letter reintroduced the coalition’s nonpartisan Election Protection program, which provides comprehensive voter assistance through multi-language hotlines and trained volunteers, addressing issues from voter intimidation to polling site disruptions. The coalition asked local officials to collaborate with Election Protection volunteers, who would be visibly present at polling sites, and to maintain open communication to quickly resolve any election-related challenges.

There were multiple ways for Alabamians to report Election Day concerns and ask questions.  One of the easiest was to call or text the Election Protection Hotline at 866-OUR-VOTE. Those looking for more information on Alabama elections and their voting information were able to visit defendtheballot.org and voteprotection.org, both of which will remain open for future elections.

“The accomplishment was nearly 1,200 tickets across NewVL & Black Voters Rise dashboards. This was an increase from less than 300 tickets in our Super Tuesday Boiler Room Pilot in March,” shared Shayla Jackson with ACLU of Alabama, who led the Boiler Room response, “We advocated to election officials to ensure voters had access to the polls, to correct ballots, to ADA Compliant polling precincts, and safety from intimidation and voter violence in 54 out of 64 counties in AL. Most importantly, we helped to secure Congressional Districts 2, 5, & 7! This was the largest coordinated nonpartisan election protection effort across the state in history, even having so many orgs represented in the room and on Zoom was amazing. I’m super proud of where we’ve come from in just 9 short months as a Coalition.”

Many of the calls throughout the day were centered around the ballot error that impacted five out of St. Clair County’s nine poll locations, along with two broken tabulator machines reported in Jefferson, Madison, Lee, and Houston counties. Other calls included reports of long lines, lack of privacy, inappropriate comments, ballot hoarding, partisan poll workers, and the inability to find polling locations—all of which were ready to be addressed by the Election Protection coalition’s rapid response team. 

“This year, we saw deliberate attempts to suppress and intimidate voters, but we also witnessed the power of collective action, coordination, and narrative,” shared Alabama Values Executive Director Anneshia Hardy, “The rapid response effort, with experts and advocates from every corner of our state, exemplifies our commitment to protecting democracy and the right to vote in Alabama.”

No Election Day is going to go off without a few bumps, but a tried and true system will withstand any challenges that may occur. When ballots were printed without an amendment included in St. Clair, it wasn’t ideal. But the steps were laid out to ensure the issue was resolved without any perceivance of bias. New ballots were printed from the printing hub in Birmingham and brought to the impacted polling locations. Hours were extended after a petition was sent to the state’s Secretary of State. Civic organizations and legal experts were monitoring the entire time to make sure the right to vote was protected. Democracy has a delicate foundation, and we are grateful to those who work tirelessly to keep it safeguarded.

Ahead of the upcoming legislative session an all-inclusive voting rights bill was proposed by Alabama lawmakers and the Alabama Voting Rights Coalition in both the state House and Senate. SB 7 and HB 60 would provide the necessary measures to ensure protected elections in the state if passed. Benefits from the bills include:

• A non-partisan Alabama Voting Rights Commission 
• A statewide voting database to assist election officials and provide information to the general public
• Provide same-day voter registration and no excuse absentee voting 
• Streamline the voting rights restoration process

“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, 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. We encourage all Alabamians to rally behind HB 60 and SB 7 — and make history again.”

Many organizations worked hard to ensure fair elections in Alabama during the 2024 elections. Now, our state representatives have the opportunity to ensure it’s easier than ever to do so in future elections.