Alabama Faces Lawsuit Over New Absentee Ballot Restrictions

Civil rights groups challenge law criminalizing assistance with absentee ballot applications, citing potential disenfranchisement.

A coalition of activist groups in Alabama, including the NAACP and the League of Women Voters, are suing to overturn a new law that restricts assistance with absentee ballot applications.
The new law, SB1, makes it a felony to pay or receive payment for handling ballots, aiming to combat what supporters call 'ballot harvesting'.
Opponents argue that SB1 violates constitutional rights and could disenfranchise voters, particularly the elderly and disabled, who require assistance.
The law has sparked a debate on the balance between preventing voter fraud and ensuring accessible voting.
Alabama officials defend SB1 as necessary for 'free and fair elections', but critics see it as an attempt to suppress absentee voting.