Contributed by Office of Sec. of State
House Bill 123, sponsored by Representative David Faulkner (R-Mountain Brook) and Senator Linda Coleman-Madison (D-Birmingham), has now been signed into law and made effective.
Act 2021-335 allows a registered voter who is a federal or state prosecutor, federal, state, probate or municipal judge, law enforcement officer, legislator or the spouse of, to have his or her personally identifiable information omitted from voter lists, except for those lists provided to federal and state agencies.
“These brave individuals are charged with making extraordinarily difficult decisions such as arresting, convicting, and sentencing violent offenders and writing and passing sometimes controversial laws,” said Secretary of State John H. Merrill. “After conversations with several judges, officers, and legislators, it became apparent to me that many individuals were fearful of making their home address more easily obtainable through voter lists. We are proud to offer this protection for the individuals who work every day to protect Alabamians.”
Eligible individuals may download the application online to have their personally identifiable information removed from voter lists or may receive the application from their county board of registrars office.
Upon successful application, everything but the name of the registered voter will be omitted from generally available lists of registered voters.
“In recent years, we have unfortunately witnessed the targeting of these individuals in our state and across the country because of the decisions they are faced with making. I am grateful for the hard work of Representative Faulkner and Senators Coleman-Madison and Figures to pass this important legislation that may one day save lives,” said Merrill.
Spouses were included in the bill in order to prevent the easier access of information.