ACLU encouraging voters to head to the polls after low turnout

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) – The American Civil Liberties Union is trying to remind voters that elections are not just for state or federal representatives, but the people who could make life-changing decisions for your hometown.

While some North Alabamians feel passionately for their voices to be heard through the polls, others do not. Alabama had nearly the lowest voter turnout in the nation in 2022, with only 37.74% participation. Voter turnout was cut in half in the 2024 primary compared to 2020, with roughly 17% of voters hitting the polls.

“We certainly have seen voter turnout diminish in the last several cycles,” Madison County Probate Judge Frank Barger said. “And, again, that’s very concerning to me.”

“We have to look locally: your city council, your state legislator, your public service commissioner,” ACLU of Alabama Executive Director JaTaune Bosby Gilchrist said. “These are the individuals that impact your day-to-day. How’s your water doing? What are the resources for your schools, and parks, and community centers?”

The ACLU actively works toward breaking barriers that voters may face. This focuses on several of topics ranging from voting laws that may be racially biased or educating people on absentee ballots.

“When we are suppressing voters, that also creates a sense of apathy,” Gilchrist said. “In which, we are trying to get them to turnout and vote on issues that impact them, their families, and their communities.”

Officials try to remind people that every election, federal or not, has an impact on how we live our lives.

“Vote in every election,” Judge Barger said. “Because, again, whether it’s your city council person or its the President of the United States, all of those positions have an impact on our communities, on our economy, and on what life looks like for us.”

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