Alabama does not need another study. It does not need another pilot. It does not need another excuse.
It needs to finish the job—this year.
Last session, election integrity reform came closer than it ever has in modern Alabama history. House Bill 30 broke the logjam that had existed for years. It proved something critical: post-election audits are not radical, not unworkable, and not a threat to democracy. They are a governing responsibility. And once legislators saw the facts—once they saw Alabama’s own audit results—there was no honest argument left against them.
That progress cannot be squandered.
Validation by Verification
The 2022 audit pilot revealed a real vote discrepancy in a statewide race. One vote was wrongly taken from Governor Kay Ivey and credited to her opponent. The margin held, but the principle did not. Elections are not validated by confidence alone. They are validated by verification. Any system that cannot confirm its own accuracy is not complete—no matter how well intentioned.
House Bill 30 proved the concept. House Bill 95 finishes it.
HB95 does not reopen elections. It does not invite chaos. It does not change outcomes. What it does is far more basic—and far more important. It requires routine, transparent, post-election audits after every countywide and statewide general election. It makes audits automatic, not political. Normal, not controversial. Expected, not optional.
That makes no sense. And voters know it.
No More Excuses
This is not about relitigating 2020. It is not about party advantage. It is not about undermining confidence. In fact, it is the opposite. Confidence that cannot withstand verification is not confidence at all—it is blind trust. Alabama voters are no longer willing to accept that.
What makes this moment decisive is that the Legislature already knows better. Last year, members saw the data. They heard from experts. They watched other states implement audits as a routine safeguard. The argument that audits are unnecessary collapsed under its own weight.
- The argument that they are “too expensive” is answered directly in HB95, which reimburses counties in full.
- The argument that they are “too complicated” is refuted by the bill’s clear, workable framework.
There is no policy barrier left. There is only political will.
If the Legislature fails to act now—after coming this close—it will not be because the idea was flawed. It will be because finishing the job was postponed for convenience. Voters understand the difference. They also understand that reforms delayed indefinitely are reforms denied.
HB95 is not a leap forward. It is a completion.
Alabama stood on the threshold last year. Stepping back now would be an admission—not of caution—but of hesitation in the face of responsibility. The public expects better. The moment demands better.
Finish the job this year. Alabama has already come too far to turn back now.