Former President Donald Trump recorded a digital ad airing statewide in Alabama urging residents to register to vote and to ensure they have a valid identification card to cast their ballot.
“I’m Donald Trump and I love Alabama,” he begins in the spot, which was paid for by the Alabama Secretary of State.
“As many of you know, there are few issues facing our nation as important as election integrity and election fraud. This is why the people of the great state of Alabama must work together to make it easier to vote and harder to cheat,” Trump added. “So get out and register to vote and get a photo ID so you can make your voice heard and decide the future of our great country.”
Alabama lacks many top-of-ticket competitive races, according to a statement from Secretary of State John Merrill to the Alabama Political Reporter. With the state’s Governor’s race between incumbent Republican Gov. Kay Ivey and Democratic challenger Yolanda Flowers not expected to be competitive, Merrill estimates just 45-50% turnout.
The Trump spot may be an attempt to boost those numbers.
Alabama has had a strict voter ID law on the books since passage in 2011 and implementation in 2014, which requires Alabama voters to have a qualifying form of photo identification to cast a ballot.
While Democrats have long viewed voter ID laws as a form of voter suppression that disproportionately affects minority and low-income voters, Alabama’s law offers several forms of qualifying identification, and free voter ID cards for those who don’t have one.
Acceptable forms of ID include a non-expired (or expired within 60-days) drivers license or state identification card, a U.S. passport or military ID, a student ID, a government ID or temporary identification from a place of incarceration, among others. It also allows for the use of a valid pistol permit with a photo.
For those who lack sufficient identification, voters can obtain a free voter ID card from the Secretary of State’s office in Montgomery or at any of the county Board of Registrars offices. They also offer a series of mobile unit locations to obtain a free ID at eight locations throughout the state.
