An Alabama state representative has filed a bill that would make Election Day a holiday for major state and federal elections.
HB 64, sponsored by Rep. Ontario Tillman (D-Bessemer), would apply to gubernatorial and presidential election contests, making Election Day a holiday every two years.
Tillman said in a phone interview that the goal would be increasing voter participation. Voters, he said, have faced long lines and conflicting job schedules trying to vote.
“It’s very difficult for some people to get there and they have to kind of do a number of things,” he said. “So my position is, why not just make it a holiday?”
Alabama has historically had low voter turnout due to a long history of voter suppression, a lack of alternate voting options, and an absence of competitive races. Just over 58% of the state’s registered voters cast ballots in the Nov. 5 election, the lowest percentage for a presidential election since 1988. Only 37.5% of registered voters turned out for the 2022 midterm elections.
Tillman said he thinks all elected officials should want more participation in the voting process.
“I think the voting process should be easier for people,” he said. “So when it comes down to voting, it doesn’t matter who you are voting for, it can be Democratic, Republican or what have you.”
Tillman said that he wants more people to pay attention to politics and become engaged in it.
The Alabama Legislature has largely been hostile to attempts to make voting easier. Bills to make absentee voting easier have failed to advance in the chamber. In 2021, the legislature approved a measure outlawing curbside drop boxes for voting.
In the 2024 legislative session, the legislature passed SB 1, which criminalized some assistance for absentee ballot applications. Proponents said that it would decrease the likelihood of ballot harvesting, while opponents argued that it could burden some voters, especially those in rural areas.
Parts of the law are currently blocked for potentially violating federal law around illiterate, disabled, or blind voters.
“Like you said, this is Alabama,” he said. “When it comes to voting, when it comes to things of that nature, you will always have opposition and some pushback.”
Tillman said he welcomes the debate and pushback, as long it is on the merits of the policy.
“So I think that when it comes down to access to voting and expanding it, why not?” he said. “That’s the question. Why is it so difficult to vote in the state of Alabama? Why is it not easier to vote in the state of Alabama? And I think as elected officials, it is incumbent upon us to make sure that we can expand access to voting and make sure people can participate in the voting process.”
This article was published by Alabama Reflector, which is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.
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