Tuscaloosa’s NAACP Sounds Alarm Over Issues With Absentee Ballots & More
With a deeply divisive presidential race ending in 12 days, all eyes are on election integrity and the local branch of the NAACP is raising alarms about potential issues here in Tuscaloosa County.
Lisa Young, the branch president, distributed a press release to media outlets this week raising questions about the distribution of absentee ballots and a potential conflict of interest from county Circuit Clerk Magaria Bobo.
Young said several people have reported to the NAACP that they have not received absentee ballots despite applying for them weeks ago.
The NAACP has been working with election manager Krystal Miles to address those concerns, but Young said they received conflicting information. At first, she said they were told that all applications had been processed, but later the organization learned some applications for absentee ballots which were postmarked in September were still being processed.
"This discrepancy is alarming, as Alabama law mandates a response to absentee ballot applications within 48 hours of receipt," Young said in the release.
Young said she went in person to the Circuit Clerk's Office last Friday to try to move the issue forward and found Bobo in the same office where absentee ballots are being processed.
Bobo, the incumbent circuit clerk, is running for re-election against former Tuscaloosa city councilwoman Sonya McKinstry in one of the only contested local races on the ballot on November 5th.
Young and the NAACP said they are not making specific accusations of unethical conduct, but did question whether a candidate running for re-election should be in such close proximity to ballots on which her own name appears.
"In response to these concerns, the NAACP Legal Defense Fund has been notified and plans to send text messages to all registered voters in Tuscaloosa County," Young said in their release. "The messages will include reminders about upcoming voting deadlines and links for residents to report unreceived absentee ballots. The Tuscaloosa County Branch NAACP remains committed to advocating for fair and equal access to voting. Voter suppression in any form is unacceptable, and the NAACP will continue to monitor the situation closely to ensure that all residents have the opportunity to exercise their right to vote."
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