To the Editor:

The Alabama Democratic Party feels compelled to respond to recent information published in the Troy Messenger about our party. The Messenger ran a story last week and a subsequent editorial critical of our party without ever contacting us for facts or for comments. No other media outlet in Alabama ran such information.

The Alabama Democratic Party conducted a limited number of live phone interviews with citizens who, according to census data were eligible but not registered, to vote. As with any list or computerized data, there exists some old or bad information. However, our dedicated callers did only live interviews with citizens asking if they or those who are eligible in their household but unregistered would like to receive a voter application form. We have also worked with schools, stores, factories, churches, and community organizations to legally and fairly register voters across Alabama.

Voter registration applications can be downloaded by any person from the Alabama Secretary of State’s web site and any Alabama citizen can legally participate in registering people to vote. Political parties exist to facilitate this process as a part of the overall democratic process.

If any person or household were mailed a letter or voter application from us, it was only after a citizen affirmatively requested an application from a caller during a live interview. If anyone falsely stated their name or the name of another, that citizen was being deceitful to the interviewer, our party and the process.

Any citizen who receives an application must then fill out the entire form and sign it with social security data or a driver’s license number. If a citizen falsely fills out a registration card, that citizen has committed a crime. The Alabama Democratic Party supports the prosecution of persons who break the sanctity of the registration or voting process.

Our party has successfully helped thousands of Alabama citizens of all ages, races and political persuasions legally register to vote this year. If we ever suspect a person is being deceitful in this process, we discard their form or turn them away. Our party fights everyday for the right of any legal and eligible unregistered voter to have a right and opportunity to register. We fight everyday to ensure that every legal voter gets a chance to safely and conveniently cast their secret ballot.

We appreciate the Messenger allowing us to set the record straight, and we are always open to the media and public in full transparency. We look forward to a historic election day next Tuesday.

Best Regards,

Lindsay Waits

Communications Director

Alabama Democratic Party