Alabama Restores Voting Rights for Thousands of Disenfranchised Citizens

On Thursday, Alabama Governor Kay Ivey signed the Definition of Moral Turpitude Act ending a century of legal ambiguity that impacted the right to vote for thousands of citizens and disproportionately affected African Americans in the state. The bill was unanimously passed the House and Senate and outlines 50 felonies that fall under “moral turpitude” and would thus restrict a person’s right to vote. Recognizing that more work is needed to address all forms of voter suppression, the Democracy Initiative applauds the tireless efforts of advocates to challenge voter suppression and expand voting rights in the state.

The following is a statement from Wendy Fields, executive director for the Democracy Initiative:

Alabama’s racist and punitive laws have targeted African Americans for over 100 years. By signing the Definition of Moral Turpitude Act, Governor Ivey is giving returning citizens the opportunity to fully participate and contribute to their community. Today we celebrate this step forward for democracy but there is more work to be done. We hope the state will move further to empower citizens by repealing the restrictive voter ID law that puts unnecessary barriers on thousands of voters.

The NAACP Legal Defense Fund (LDF), a DI partner, played a lead role in moving Alabama to address the lack of clarity and inconsistent interpretation of moral turpitude. In the 2005 lawsuit filed by LDF, the State Supreme Court affirmed the concerns raised by the group although they ultimately dismissed the case. The following is an excerpt from a statement by LDF President and Director-Counsel Sherrilyn Ifill:

We commend Governor Ivey and the Alabama State Legislature for recognizing that Alabama law left the voting rights of too many citizens — especially Black citizens — hanging in the balance because of a legal ambiguity. With the stroke of a pen, Governor Ivey has taken a significant step towards making Alabama’s democracy more vital. This bill is only a start, however. LDF strongly believes that no citizen should be disenfranchised for any kind of criminal conviction. Nevertheless, this is a significant day for voting rights in Alabama.