At the State House in Montgomery, Alabama State Representative Debbie Wood sat down with ALCAP President Greg Davis on Priority Talk Radio to discuss her bill (House Bill 30) requiring audits of Alabama elections. They began the conversation by talking about Rep. Wood’s district and background before moving to the bill itself.
HB30: “Relating to elections; to require the judge of probate of each county to conduct a post-election audit after every county and statewide general election to determine the accuracy of the originally reported results of the election.”
She told stories of people––such as Angela Shepard––who greatly impacted her life by discussing election security issues with her and exposing potential problems in Alabama’s voting machines. There were also others who would walk up to her in public to tell her that they voted for her. She realized the value of these issues and how important voters are, and it’s why she is passionate about her bill.
“[The bill] allows, after the election, for us to check that machine and make sure it’s doing its job. Now, most of the machines in Alabama… are over 10 years old. They say, ‘Well, we only use them every other year.’ Listen, there is nobody that I know of that’s using a 10-year-old phone, or laptop, or computer.”
Rep. Wood mentioned the fact that Alabama is the only state that does not have any type of post-election review. She then answered criticisms from both sides; one side says that this bill may be too much extra work for probate judges while the other side says that the bill is not strict enough. She responded by saying that election security is worth the extra work to ensure that election results are accurate, and that she is trying to pass the strongest bill possible but compromise is necessary to ensure something gets done.
To listen to their entire conversation, click here.