BIRMINGHAM, AL – Today, Doug Jones issued the following statement regarding the passage of House Bill 541 by the Alabama House of Representatives.

“Once again, Republicans in the Alabama legislature are attempting to rig elections by denying Alabama citizens the right to vote in the political primary of their choice. This morning, the Republican supermajority in the Alabama House passed HB 541, which strips over 300,000 Alabamians of their right to participate in political primaries. I applaud the Alabama House Democratic Caucus for standing united against this bill.”

Political primaries are funded by taxpayer dollars. Independent voters are not just important in general elections. They are an important constituency in primary elections as a moderating check on both political parties. This is especially significant in a state that is as politically gerrymandered as Alabama. If HB 541 passes the Senate and is signed into law, over 300,000 Alabamians will either have to face a choice: register with a political party or be denied the ability to vote in a taxpayer funded primary for President or any federal or state office. That is just plain wrong.

Alabama already has one of the lowest voter participation rates in the country — only 22% in the 2022 general election and even less in the primaries — and now the Republican supermajority seems hellbent on sinking that participation rate even further.

We need more participation in elections, not less. House and Senate Democrats are trying to deliver with several bills that encourage civic engagement, such as early in person voting and ballot initiatives. But the Republican leadership in the Alabama legislature will not even give those bills a hearing, much less a vote.

I am calling all Alabamians to call or write their state senator and urge them to defeat HB541.”