Alabama House passes bill banning private funding of elections

The Alabama House passed a bill this week that would ban the donation of private funds to state and local election officials to fund the expenses of holding an election.

The bill, HB 194, would prevent private organizations and individuals from accepting money to fund election expenses including voter registration, voter outreach and voter education.

The goal of the bill, says its author, Rep. Wes Allen (R-Troy), is to avoid any influence over state and local election officials. The law would make a violation of the bill a misdemeanor.

The bill passed the House along party lines, with Republicans supporting it and Democrats in opposition. The Alabama ACLU, Black Voters Matter, and other voter advocacy groups have spoken out against the bill, saying it would prevent minority voters from receiving voter education and registration assistance.