Democrats, state settle voter list suit

The Alabama Democratic Party received a copy of the updated voter registration list in an agreement with Secretary of State Beth Chapman Thursday.

The agreement came during a court hearing, party chairman Joe Turnham said.

The party filed suit Friday against Chapman, he said. Turnham had said he thought parties should get free updated voter registration lists for every state election.

Chapman, a Republican, read the state law differently and had been charging $28,000 for each updated list.

“I made an offer to provide both parties with a complete updated list,” Chapman said Thursday. “The law is very ambiguous. In the best interest of the taxpayers of the state, instead of allowing it to be tied up in court 22 business days away … (from the election), I made an offer to give both parties updated copies.”

The judge asked Chapman’s office and the Democrats to work toward future legislation that would clarify the law, Turnham said.

When he announced it would file suit, Turnham said the Democratic Party needed voter registration information to reach potential voters.

The party received the list late Thursday evening, he said.

“I regret we had to go to court and rattle our saber to get it,” he said. “I don’t know if we can do things with the data that we need to before the election, but we’re going to try.”

As far as whether political parties will get free copies every election in the future, it would depend on future legislation, Chapman said. If no clarifying legislation is passed, she said, “we’ll just have to cross that bridge when we get there.”