Alabama Ruling to Make Ballots Safer for Black Voters Blocked
Alabama Ruling to Make Ballots Safer for Black Voters Blocked
(Bloomberg) -- A federal appeals court put a hold on part of a judge’s ruling that eased Alabama’s restrictions on mail-in voting for older citizens to protect their health during the upcoming election.
The 2-1 ruling Tuesday by the U.S. Court of Appeals in Atlanta scrapped much of the injunction issued by a judge who said the state’s long history of racism put Black voters in particular peril during the pandemic.
The appeals courts granted Alabama’s request to stay the portion of the injunction that exempted voters who are at least 65 or have underlying health conditions from identification and witness-signature requirements for absentee ballots to prevent spread of the coronavirus.
The appeals court spared a part of the injunction that blocked Alabama from preventing election officials from setting up curb-side voting procedures “that otherwise comply with state and federal election law.”
U.S. District Judge Abdul Kallon in Birmingham had ruled that easing the measures during the public-health crisis to protect vulnerable voters was necessary to comply with the Voting Rights Act. Kallon cited the state’s history of institutionalized racism and the unequal impact of the virus on Black Americans.
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