AEC Fall Newsletter

The Alabama League of Environmental Action Voters
Make a Difference – Register to Vote

The AlaLEAVs purpose is to unite the environmentally conscious voters of Alabama into one strong political organization. To succeed we need your help. When Alabama citizens choose to elect a political candidate, they are choosing the path our environment will take. AlaLEAVs is confident that informed citizens will make political decisions in the best interest of our state’s environmental welfare. Because you receive the Alabama Environmental Council’s newsletter and are reading this article I will assume that you care about environmental issues. However if you are not a registered voter in the state of Alabama or have not voted recently because you don’t think your vote makes a difference, then please continue reading to understand how important your vote is.

We all remember how close the 2000 Presidential election was as we waited for months for the Florida election results to be certified. Almost six million votes were cast for President in the state of Florida and when the counting was finished there were only 767 votes separating the two candidates. There are 67 counties in Florida, making the difference in the Presidential election less than 12 votes per county. Talk about a vote counting for something.

In Alabama in 1998 over 1.2 million votes were cast in each of the 14 statewide constitutional elections. Almost 30% of those races were won with the winner receiving less than 51% of the vote. The average number of votes cast in a state senate race in Alabama is around 35,000. The average number in a state house race is about 10,000. In the 1998 state senate elections four of the 28 contested races were won with less than one percent of the vote separating the two candidates. In one race where over 40,000 votes were cast the winner won by only 58 votes. In another legislative race the vote difference was 42 votes. Your vote can make a difference.

It is not only important to vote, but to know the candidate you are voting for. Does the individual running for elected office represent your views? The thirty-second TV ads and the billboards and yard signs tell you little about who the candidate really is. Do some research, call the candidate and get answers to questions that are important to you. If the candidate is an incumbent research his/her voting record on issues that you feel strongly about. Become involved and get informed.

Alabama will have primary elections in less than 10 months. The general election is November 5, 2002. Become part of the process and register to vote. It’s quick and it’s easy.

Qualifications to Vote:

• Be a United States Citizen
• Reside in Alabama
• Be at least 18 years old
• Have not been convicted of a felony (or have rights restored)
• Have not been legally declared “mentally incompetent” by a court

Deadline for Registering to Vote

Voter registration is closed for the ten (10) days before an election.

Obtaining a Voter Registration Application

You can obtain voter registration services at any of the following places:

• County Board of Registrars
• Driver’s licensing office
• Public Libraries
• Department of Humane Resources
• Department of Public Health
• Medicaid Agency
• Department of Rehabilitation Services
• Public 4-year universities

You can also visit the Office of the Secretary of State on the web and download the Voter Registration Application from their site.

It’s that easy! So if you are not a registered voter become one today.

http://www.sos.state.al.us

For more information you may contact Jeff Martin @ 334-834-2956 or alaleavs@aol.com.